An Assassin's Web of Lies
by RyukxD
Summary: Kuga Natsuki was a normal high school girl until a highly trained assassin appears and somehow she is framed for a heinous crime she did not commit. Garderobe, a secret school run by the government that trains the most talented assassins, gives her a second life by becoming an agent. Thrust into a new world she never knew about, Natsuki has more ties to it than she thinks...
1. Chapter 1 - Baretta M9

**Chapter 1: Baretta M9**

**Kuga Natsuki believes herself to be a normal high school girl who aspires to join the military in her father's footsteps. All that changes when a highly trained assassin appears and somehow Natsuki is framed for a heinous crime she did not commit. Suddenly she is thrust into Garderobe, a secret elite school run by the government that trains the most talented assassins in the world, in order to escape her death sentence and take her revenge on the assassin that ruined her life. But there is more that ties Natsuki to this world of killing than this aspiration for revenge...**

* * *

"Yo, Natsuki!"

"Hello, Natsuki-senpai!"

"Yo!" was the simple reply to all the greetings a certain dark-haired girl received on a normal Friday afternoon. Both seasonal and newer members of the shooting range club alike always stared in wonder and awe at the star-gunwoman of their team every time she walked through the field. Not only were her skills unmatched, she was both beautiful and intelligent, known as the idol of Fuuka Academy to boys and girls alike. What's more is that she was never the type to flaunt her beauty, brain or brawn. In fact she was quite the opposite, humble in every way possible and portrayed an icy, rebel-like attitude that kept everybody at a distance. Sure she seemed cold and serious at times but hey, that didn't stop anyone from adoring her all the same. She was the star that anyone and everyone looked up to.

To Natsuki, completely aware and slightly annoyed of her status at school, this was just another day to shoot a few targets down with a good hand-gun. In other words, her good ol' semi-automatic, 9x19mm Beretta M9. But of course, her desires had to wait for she had promised to train the lower classmen today…

"Now remember everyone, the most important rule here is to be safe! I don't want any accidents happening here, got it?" Natsuki's commanding and husky voice entranced her fawning students, absorbing every syllable that escaped their ice princess's mouth.

"Hai, Natsuki-senpai!" came the reply in unison.

From there, the 18-year-old took the time in being a good upperclassmen and demonstrated the proper stances and techniques in the art of shooting. She was irritated that most of them were more interested in watching herself rather than actually aiming where they were supposed to. Fortunately, the bullets they used during practice and even competitions were always tranquilizers or blanks depending on the occasion. _They can knock each other asleep all they want 'cause they deserve it for not listening to the damn rules. And give me a break, I'm actually teaching here for crying out loud!_

Natsuki inwardly smirked and snickered when soon enough two bodies hit the floor after tranquilizers nailed them, immediately inducing sleep. Although again, Natsuki was trying to be good today and held in her amusement by keeping her stoic composure, not that it was too difficult to do so, and simply dragging the dead weights to the side. The only reason why Natsuki even put the time and effort into this aggravating task was because she was allowed to have her own personal shooting time once the younger ones leave.

_Beretta M9, Beretta M9, Beretta M9, that's why I'm doing this!_ was her mantra for the rest of the afternoon. It at least stopped her from incapacitating those who were currently giving her a splitting headache.

Natsuki's father was a proud military man who wished he had a son, but treated her like one anyway. He made sure she was trained in all forms of hand-to-hand combat, weaponry, and strategic planning. As a result, she did end up trying the judo, kendo, and archery clubs in school. However, shooting was her favorite and she ended up quitting the rest. The Beretta M9 that she so very loved used to be her father's gun which she secretly treasured because of the fact it was his, not because of its sleek and efficient make and model. _Of course I would never admit it._

By the time Natsuki headed home, the sky was already full of orange and pink streaks from the setting sun. She spotted some kids on bikes from afar, whooping and hollering for whatever reason. As they passed by, a small smile spread on her face. _Damn delinquents_. She remembered the old days in middle school when she was a delinquent herself, skipping school, vandalizing walls and causing chaos wherever she and her gang felt like it. _Good times, good times. _Natsuki cleaned up her act when she started high school due to the fact that she really cared if her father took pride in her. She fully planned on joining the military one day and decided that her father's approval was what mattered above all. _Yes, my old man is my role model. Got a problem with it?_

As Natsuki was about to reach for the doorknob to the front door of her house, her hand froze before it even touched its copper finish.

_What is that? Ugh…there's this feeling in my gut. Something's off here. How can I tell? The heck I know…I just do._

The doormat was a little off-center and there were too many leaves on the porch. Yes, little details that could easily be played off as unimportant stood out to Natsuki at the moment. But the thing that truly confirmed her gut-feeling was the fact that all the curtains to the living room windows were drawn closed. Her father would always leave both curtains halfway open, some kind of OCD that he had with the "balance" it creates.

_He should be home by now…_

To that, Natsuki simply shrugged and rolled her eyes in annoyance rather than alarm.

_The old man is up to his old tricks again. Does he seriously think that these fake break-ins and attacks prepare me for "the real world"?_

Her father had already put her through countless mock scenarios in the past. Some were so extreme that he once asked a dozen of his military colleagues to set the scene up for his daughter, a house filled with hostages, a time bomb, gas masks and an enemy with unlimited amounts of weaponry all while the poor girl was temporarily drugged up to dull her senses.

Natsuki sighed in exasperation, rubbing the back of her head in annoyance. _Fine then. The faster I finish whatever "mission" there is, the faster I can play my Xbox. Yeah, don't make fun of me for having such a shallow form of happiness._

Immediately, her bright emerald eyes steeled with determination and she took a deep breath, sharpening her senses to deal with the situation at hand. She pulled back the hand that was about to open the front door and bolted to the side of the two-story house. She found her alternate entrance when she noticed that the window to her room was open. With agility and nimble feet, Natsuki climbed the tree next to the house, jumped into the room on the second floor and landed with a somersault to deafen the landing. Once inside, she pulled out her pistol and kept it at the ready while she exited her room and hugged the hallways, searching for any signs of movement.

_What the—I would have expected something to come at me by now. I hope the old man didn't grow soft on me. _The thought that her father might have underestimated her abilities irked her to some extent.

Once she reached the bottom of the staircase she carefully scanned the area, again no signs of movement. _Ok, now this is getting weird—_

"Argh!"

_What? Otou-san's voice? Coming from…_

"Come now, all you have to do is give me the information I need and I'll be on my merry way," A chiding voice rang clearly through Natsuki's ears.

_It's coming from the kitchen!_ Natsuki silently moved towards her destination. She was now keeping her back against the wall, hiding her presence from the two individuals inside the next room. She was so close to the two that if she simply spun around and entered through the doorway, she could easily take her shot. But before she acted on such rash thoughts she listened in on the conversation now going on in the room, trying to steady her breathing and heartbeat to an almost nonexistent state.

"Do you really want me to resort to more violence? Because I don't. Frankly, it's a waste of time and effort and I find myself to be kind of anti-sadistic at the moment." Her authoritative and sharp voice was picked up clearly by a close-by Natsuki.

_A woman? Since when has Otou-san ever used a female in these training scenarios?_

"I already told you. You're not getting a single thing out of me, so you might as well get rid of me now." The sound of her father's voice was strong, but a bit winded. Natsuki could easily tell he was in some kind of pain.

_Holy crap?! Otou-san, I know you're not that great of an actor…you're really wounded aren't you?_ The dark-haired girl's eyes widened in realization, _This…isn't a training session…is it? That woman…she's hurting Otou-san!_

Before the green-eyed girl could even stop, an adrenaline rush coming from her protective instincts made her bolt from her position and point her gun directly at the enemy. Her movements were quick and took mere fractions of a second.

-Bang!-

A body hit the floor with a heavy thud. The enemy appeared to be a blond woman with long hair tied into one elegant braid. No, Natsuki didn't kill the blonde, only tranquilized. After all, her father never taught her to be a killer. Disarming was the honorable way to defeat an enemy if the situation can call for it.

"Na-chan? Is that you?" Natsuki's father's voice snapped her out of her examination of the body on the floor.

Natsuki's attention immediately turned to her father, striding up to him and untying the bonds that held him to a kitchen chair. He seemed to be alright, minus the few cuts and bruises.

"Otou-san, what the hell is going on? Who's that woman on the floor? Why was she after you?" The dark-haired beauty growled while struggling to remove the bonds, "Goddamnit, what the hell are these things made of?"

"Oh, thank goodness you're alright. You probably can't remove these shackles unless you get the key. Listen, Na-chan there's not much time. Go pack your things, you have to leave this place right now and—"

-CRASH!-

Black figures began breaking in through the kitchen windows, swarming the father and daughter.

"Oh shit."

Natsuki immediately sprang into action, whipping her gun out and firing repeatedly, never missing a target. One by one, black bodies began to litter the kitchen floor, all asleep of course. One attacker came close enough to land a kick on Natsuki, though it didn't disturb her much since she sent a tranquilizer up his gut right after. Once she ran out of tranquilizers, she hid behind a countertop to reload, bullets darting inches away from her back. She was about to come out of her cover and fire once again but was halted by a loud voice.

"You might not want to do that," that same authoritative voice of a woman echoed through the now silent, battle-heated air, followed by the cocking of a gun. "Come out with your hands up or your precious daddy here gets to eat some heavy metal."

"Ooh, my favorite type of rock music."

-Whack!-

"Shut up, old man."

That brought a small smile to Natsuki's face. _At least the old man still has the energy to crack jokes. How the hell is that woman awake?!_

"I'm waiting."

The dark-haired girl gripped her gun tighter, her knuckles growing white. _What do I do? What do I do?! Calm down, Natsuki. There has to be a way out of this—_

"Don't try anything funny because I assure you, the pull of my trigger is faster than any scheme you can come up with. I'll give you 3 seconds. One…Two….Thr—."

"Ok! Alright!...I give up! Just get that goddamn gun away from his head!" Natsuki cursed inwardly for giving up so soon, but she couldn't risk her father's life. Grudgingly, she dropped her gun and as it clattered on the cold, marble floor, she turned to face whoever threatened her. The dark-haired girl's eyes widened slightly when her eyes fell upon the blonde's apparent beauty. Two words could sum up what she saw. _Hot damn. _Though that didn't distract her too much since she was the enemy and that put more weight on her thoughts.

The stunning blonde with icy blue eyes pierced through her own as she lowered her weapon and instead pointed it at Natsuki.

"Good girl," the blonde woman cooed.

"Who the hell are you?! And how are you even awake? I swore I got you with my dart." Her face remained stoic, hiding the inner turmoil that was raging within.

"Oh, how cute. The puppy is growling at me," The blue-eyed woman chuckled softly then turned to the man next to her, "You never told me you had such a cute pet for a daughter." Her eyes met Natsuki's, "I see your father here hasn't told you anything, has he?"

Natsuki didn't reply, only using her emeralds to glare at sapphires while her brow twitched in annoyance. The older woman chuckled some more at the younger girl's lack of response.

"I like that rebellious look on you. It's…" she licked her full, red lips and leered back with lustful eyes, "…making me hungry."

A rosy blush came to Natsuki's face at the remark but she tried to hide it and barked back, "Y-You didn't answer my question. Who are you?!"

The blonde smiled and snapped her fingers. Next thing Natsuki knew, two black figures grabbed her arms and held her in place. She didn't fight back because she noticed that the gun was once again pointed towards her father's head.

"It just so happens I have a very fast metabolism, so a tranquilizer as weak as yours does not last very long."

Natsuki's eyes widened in surprise. _Fast metabolism, my ass! What a monster!_

"My name is Alyssa Searrs from the Searrs Foundation. Sound familiar?" Again the sharp-featured woman received no answer, "Of course it doesn't, considering how much your father has sheltered you. Let's just say we are a program that focuses on this country's underground assassinations and are always finding ways to advance our technology. Your father here used to be one of our top scientists, but quit because—"

An interruption halted the stunning blonde.

"Stop! Please she doesn't need to know! Don't get her involved! " Natsuki's eyes widened at her father's pleading. _Assassination? Otou-san a scientist? Involved?_ She wanted to find out more but the woman, whose name she now knew was Alyssa, slammed the gun into her father's head, knocking him out cold.

"Oi! Don't hurt him!" Natsuki barked.

"I think me hurting him is the least of your worries right now. Point is, your daddy made this special serum, NK-124, a neurotoxin that allows you to control people with your orders. Though the Searrs Foundation was about to use it as a new weapon for all in the program to use, your father deemed it too dangerous for mass reproduction and use. After he left the organization, I've been doing everything to get my hands on its formula. From what I've gathered, the key to the correct sequence in the formula is in his blood."

"In his blood? So what are you planning to—argh!" A needle was suddenly jabbed into Natsuki's neck and a green liquid that glowed was injected into her. Her eyes immediately hazed over and she felt herself weakening. "What…hah…did you…hah….do to me?" She was alarmed at how breathless she had become, practically gasping for air.

Alyssa moved closer to Natsuki, grabbing her chin and lifting her head so that their eyes could meet. The two figures let go of Natsuki, a sign that she was no longer deemed a threat. "This is our own version of the NK-124, though it doesn't last long and has horrible side effects. But it's long enough for me to do this," She put her gun in the younger girl's hands.

"What…hah…are you going to make me do?" The neurotoxin numbed her senses to the point where she couldn't even feel her arms and legs but she miraculously remained standing.

"Simple," The tall blonde only moved closer, pressing her body against the younger girl as she spoke, making her smile even more when she felt the smaller body shiver against her own. "My mission was to terminate your father and gather his blood. But now that you've come into the picture, I think this will be much more fun." An amused smirk graced the blue-eyed woman's lips. "I suggest you don't fight against the drug. The more you do, the more it destroys your body after its effects wear off." Then, if it was even possible, Alyssa moved even closer to Natsuki, her lips almost brushing against her ear as she whispered her command. "Now...kill him. I order you to kill your father."

Natsuki's eyes widened in horror as her hands unwillingly lifted the gun into the air, "No. No, fuck you! No, you can't make me!"

Alyssa backed away from the younger girl and chuckled, "I'd like to see you try, though I strongly advise you not to."

_Strongly advise you not to my ass, I'm not about to give up and kill my own old man!_ Steeling her determination, she devoted every ounce of strength and willpower to stop herself. Though, the drug was too strong and the gun was eventually lifted to aim directly at her father's head. From afar, the dark-haired girl appeared to be frozen in place with a gun in her hands, though the older woman could see her muscles twitching violently, unable to distinguish between the drug's messages and her brain's.

"It's useless. You're killing yourself in the process." The blonde put on a bored look, however deep down she was quite entertained. _Sigh, such a pretty pet and she's only making it worse. Perhaps if she lives through this I shall make her mine._ Alyssa smiled at the thought and looked back up at the said girl.

"Shut up, you fucking bitch," Natsuki was able to growl, though she knew she was almost at her limit. Her muscles were aching and telling her to pull the trigger.

This internal struggle lasted for a few minutes, drenching Natsuki's back with sweat from the effort. Alyssa, on the other hand, was now very impressed, _How can she stand it for so long? People always fight against it, that I know, but they last for only a few seconds at most._ An amusing thought then came to the blonde's mind, bringing a chuckle to her throat. _Let me try it again._

"I order you to kill your father by putting a bullet through his heart."

Natsuki gasped at the new order, bringing forth a new wave of strength from the drug. _No! I can't stop it! Don't aim for the heart!_ She desperately pleaded her body to follow. _Just disarm him! DISARM HIM! Remember what Otou-san taught you! YOU MUST NEVER KILL UNLESS IT IS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY. AND THIS IS SOOOO NOT NECESSARY! PLEASE! JUST DISARM HIM!_

-BANG!-

The gun slipped from her hands and clattered on the ground. Her heart was banging so hard in her chest that she could feel the blood rushing through her ears. The drug was still in her system, so she couldn't even move.

"Tch," The blonde turned away in disapproval.

_I did it. I did it! A perfect flesh wound. No arteries, no bone, no major nerves or organs._ The dark-haired girl's mind sighed in relief.

Alyssa strode over to the younger girl and grabbed the gun that had fallen to the floor. "Insolent little girl. That was a very interesting show, but you've wasted enough of my time for today."

-BANG!-

"N-No…NOOOOO!" Natsuki's scream of agony pierced through the air. The older woman had shot her father straight through the head. "No! How could you do that?! YOU FUCKING MONSTER!" Something in the young girl snapped, causing her to spring onto the blonde and strangle her neck with her bare hands. They toppled over with Natsuki on top, attempting to crush that cursed woman's windpipe with all her might. Though, the woman underneath seemed unperturbed.

"Oh, look at the time. Your ten minutes under the influence of that drug is up." She said it so sweetly that it caught Natsuki off-guard for a few seconds.

"What? AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" Suddenly, every part of Natsuki's body started to spasm uncontrollably. Hot white pain seared through her very being, so strong that she was beginning to have difficulty distinguishing between pain and reality.

"It makes sense for the drug to have such an effect on you. After all, you struggled against it for so long. But I did tell you, the longer you fight it, the more it harms you." The blonde could not believe the reaction that the girl was getting from the side effects of the drug. _The most I've ever seen is a bad fever. But I suppose this is the result after actually disobeying me. How did she even do that? This girl…she interests me._

The blonde woman stood up swiftly, leaving the writhing Natsuki on the ground, who began to froth at the mouth. _Pity, by the looks of things the girl won't make it. Oh well. _With a stoic face, she pulled out a glass vial, collected what she needed to and finished her job. She turned to leave but was stopped by something that grabbed her leg.

"I'm…gasp….kill…gasp …you bitch…" The teen had crawled over to the older woman, desperately trying to avenge her father but the pain stopped her from even forming coherent sentences.

"Oh, so admirable," The blue-eyed woman flipped Natsuki onto her back with one kick, "Sayonara, Natsuki-chan. I do hope we meet again, that is, if you're still alive." With that, the Searrs heir left, leaving no trace that she was ever there.

Meanwhile, Natsuki lay still on the floor, succumbing to the pain induced by the side effects and slowly slipping into unconsciousness. _Is this what death feels like? Tch, that sounds way too…cliché…_

* * *

_Natsuki…_

_Okaa-san?_

_Natsuki…_

_Okaa-san, is that you?_

An older woman who looked like the exact replica of Natsuki appeared before her. Natsuki reached a hand out desperately, but the image disappeared into nothingness before she could touch it.

_Okaa-san! I miss you…where are you? Why did you leave me? Leave us?_

_Us?_

_Us!_

* * *

A glint of emerald eyes peeked through heavy eyelids.

"Ah, you're awake, Kuga-san?" A gentle voice coaxed Natsuki back into the conscious world.

_Otou-san._

_Blood._

_Attack._

_Alyssa Searrs._

_Kill._

_KILL!_

Natsuki suddenly jerked upward from her lying position only to stop with a hiss escaping from her lips. Her whole body ached.

"Shhhh, it's okay, Kuga-san. Everything is alright and you shouldn't move too quickly, you're still far too weak. Now will you please lie back down?" The woman with shoulder-length, brown wavy hair gently helped Natsuki back into the bed. Her motherly tone had instantly calmed the panicked girl.

"Who—?"

"Pleased to meet you, Kuga Natsuki-san. I'm Youko Helene, the doctor who's been in charge of you for the past week," The woman in a lab coat who appeared to be in her mid- to late twenties seemed nice enough, though the teen was far from trusting anyone at the moment.

"Where am I?" Natsuki asked warily, surveying the bedroom she was currently in. It was quite simple, but elegant with its satin bed sheets, intricately designed carpet and ornate furniture.

"Please refrain from your questions, Kuga-san, until I finish what I have to say." The green-eyed girl was slightly taken aback at the serious tone that the doctor suddenly took. The doctor looked back at her patient and when she seemed to receive no form of objection, she continued, "You are currently at Garderobe, a government-run agency of Japan. We found you in a prison hospital and learned that the minute you recovered, you would be sentenced to death for the first-degree murder of your father, Kuga Akira."

"First-degree murder! Of my otou-san?! What bull is this?!"

"Please, Kuga-san, allow me to finish. As I said, you were in prison and sentenced to death. From what we've gathered, Alyssa Searrs from the Searrs Foundation is the one who set you up for the crime."

"I swear to god, I'm going to kill that woman," Natsuki snarled as anger dripped from her lips.

Youko cleared her throat in annoyance before speaking once again, "Garderobe always tracks the Searrs Foundation's movements; therefore it led us directly to you. Before you ask, yes, for the past few days we knew that Searrs had started moving recently. No, we did not know what they were up to at the time, so I'm very sorry it was too late before we could do anything. "

"Sorry? Tch. My father is dead and I was almost forced to _kill_ him! And all you can say is you're 'sorry'?!" The young girl's voice cracked under the pressure of her tangled emotions. It took every fiber of her being not to shed tears in front of the woman she barely knew. _The freakin' government knew about Searrs…and they could have saved Otou-san…_ As much as Natsuki replayed the "what ifs" in her mind, she knew that it was not Garderobe's fault that her father was dead. Alyssa Searrs was his murderer.

This was a lot to take in and Youko's heart grew heavy with pity after seeing the torture displayed on the poor girl's face. "We could have easily left you to your fate, but the higher-ups have found a great deal of interest in you. Whatever you did, you should be considered lucky because Garderobe has given you a rare opportunity to start all over again."

"Start all over again? What exactly does that mean?" At the moment, Natsuki was far from confused and was completely bewildered at the situation.

"Garderobe has given you two options: One, we return you to the prison we found you in and you accept your death penalty. Or two, you will join Garderobe and agree to be trained to become a special government agent. If I am correct, you want to avenge your father's murder, yes?" Youko watched in intrigue when she saw a fire begin to light in emerald eyes.

"Yes, of course I do!"

"Then, Garderobe will be able to assist you with that as long as you keep up your end of the promise," The doctor's tone of voice seemed to imply some warning.

"Which is what?" Natsuki's head had lifted from the bed in her enthusiasm and hope.

"Become a Garderobe agent."

"And what exactly does a Garderobe agent do?"

_She seems so pure and innocent, I hate having to do this to her…but I have no choice._ Youko looked straight into Natsuki's eyes, "Garderobe trains its agents to become the world's top assassins."

The doctor watched as the younger girl's eyes widened slightly. "So…you're telling me…that I have to become a killer? Or else…be killed?" The words sounded so foreign to Natsuki's ears. For all her life, her father had drilled into her head that killing was only supposed to be used as a last resort. For all her life, she was taught that taking someone else's life was a whole new level of justice that could only be decided by one's sense of good morale. For all her life, she was taught that disarming was right and just, the only way to go unless the situation is inescapable and calls for a death, which she had never been in. Now…this woman was telling her that she had to go against all that.

"Once you've have healed enough, you will be presented to the Garderobe Council where you will state your decision directly. Until then, please rest for now." With that, the brown-haired doctor turned to leave.

"Wait."

Youko turned back to find blazing emeralds full of determination, "What is it?"

"I've decided."

"You don't need to make a decision now—"

"I've decided…I want to…live. I will become an agent of Garderobe," Natsuki's husky voice was stern and commanding, the complete opposite of what it was a few seconds ago. _There is no way in hell I will agree to going to prison to die for a crime I did not commit! I'm sorry Otou-san, but I will do anything in my power to avenge your death. Even if it means going against everything you've taught me. Even if it means I have to sully my hands in order to see the life ebb away from the eyes of Alyssa Searrs._

Youko remained silent for a few moments, as if waiting for the younger girl to suddenly change her mind, "Very well, I shall notify my superiors and they will decide on how to deal with this situation. As for now, please rest, Kuga-san."

And with that, the dark-haired beauty was left alone in the room, having only her thoughts for company. _What the hell did I just agree to?_

* * *

**Author's Note: Review if you liked it! Keep reading because more will be on the way! And of course...Shizuru's appearance!_  
_**

**Please note that my Alyssa Searrs is a much older version that will probably not have much similarity to the original character.  
**


	2. Chapter 2 - Hits and Misses

**Chapter 2: Hits and Misses**

******Kuga Natsuki believes herself to be a normal high school girl who aspires to join the military in her father's footsteps. All that changes when a highly trained assassin appears and somehow Natsuki is framed for a heinous crime she did not commit. Suddenly she is thrust into Garderobe, a secret elite school run by the government that trains the most talented assassins in the world, in order to escape her death sentence and take her revenge on the assassin that ruined her life. But there is more that ties Natsuki to this world of killing than this aspiration for revenge...**

* * *

Natsuki walked into a darkened room wearing a black tank top and skin tight shorts, courtesy of Garderobe's doctor, of course. There appeared to be four figures in the room, positioned in seats that reminded Natsuki of judges in a court room, towering over her and making her have to tilt her head upwards in order to see them properly. However, she noted that one of the five judge-like seats was empty.

"Welcome, Kuga Natsuki-san," The figure in the middle of the five seats spoke first. Natsuki was able to distinguish that it was a woman who spoke to her as she got closer. "My name is Anh Lu and I am the First Meister of the Garderobe Council. I guess I could be considered Garderobe's Operations Sergeant, the head honcho, but that sounds too military-like for my tastes."

The dark-haired girl was surprised at how young this "First Meister" was, looking to only be in her late-twenties or early-thirties. The woman had short, light brown hair and lilac eyes which were pointed straight at her own.

"To my left is the Third Meister, Juliet Nao and to her left is the Fourth Meister, Haruka Armitage." They were two women, one with short blazing red hair and the other with long blonde hair, respectively. "To my far right is the Fifth Meister, Chie Hallard," She gestured to a short dark-haired woman sitting one chair away from her with glasses who looked quite handsome for a girl in Natsuki's opinion. "Unfortunately, the Second Meister could not make it here today, but you will be able to meet her some other time. Together, we make the five members of the Garderobe Council." Little did the dark-haired beauty know, the leader of Garderobe had to stop herself from drooling and licking her lips. _Well, isn't that the most beautiful, sexy new thing I've seen in a while? I wonder who will choose her..._

Natsuki simply nodded her head, the only sign that told the First Meister that she was paying any attention at all. Well, that and the intense gaze she was directing at everyone with her emeralds. _They're all young and beautiful…what kind of assassins are these?_

Chie and Nao were quite interested with the prospective agent. After all, not just anybody was given a chance to become a Garderobe agent, especially under what they knew of Natsuki's circumstances. Plus, it didn't hurt that they both thought she was a very beautiful and not to mention _hot_ young woman. Haruka, on the other hand, seemed to be bored beyond belief, probably passing time by just doing her best to keep her loud mouth shut in order for the formalities to be over with faster.

"Before you can become an agent of Garderobe, you need to go through a trial in order for us to gain all of your stats. That way we will know what level you are at and who will mentor you during your time here at Garderobe," Anh's authoritative voice echoed throughout the darkened room. _It scares me how serious I can be at times…Ah, but I do need to hold it in a bit more because of this girl._

"What kind of trial is it?" Natsuki's voice sounded a little foreign to her, since it had been a while since she last spoke and the echoes made it sound huskier than usual.

_Such a sexy voice…wait, come on Anh, back to business._ The leader was having some trouble focusing on the formalities due to her libido, "We have a special arena that tests your physical and mental skills using real-life situations. Meanwhile, our computers will be monitoring you at all times, thus collecting your data. I must warn you now that you will be taking our version of the NK-124 neurotoxin, something I think you are familiar with."

"What?! Why?" Natsuki barked. _No way am I letting that into my system again!_

"I know of the reservations you have on the drug, Kuga-san, but I can assure you, our version is quite different from Searrs. The purpose of this drug is, like it's supposed to, make you obey orders. That much is obvious. But in this case, it is to rid you of your inhibitions during the trial in order for us to obtain the most accurate data. Plus, ours lasts much longer. Do you understand now?" Anh's explanation was quick and diplomatic, fully displaying her skills as Garderobe's leader.

"Yeah, but what about the side—"

The young girl was cut off by another quick rebuttal.

"Although the Garderobe NK-124 has less severe side effects than that of Searrs', do not fight against the drug like you once did. Not only will we have to repeat the trial if you do, it will still have strong effects on those who are, well, sensitive to it."

Natsuki's brow twitched at the word "sensitive." She hated the fact that it made her sound so weak, but she remained silent anyway. _So, I fought a little against the drug and I almost died. Big whoop._

"Your previous reaction to the drug makes me hope that you've learned your lesson, yes?"

The teen simply remained quiet, holding back the barks that she wished she could unleash.

"Well then, let's get started, shall we?" The leader of Garderobe sent out a silent command, bringing forth the only person that Natsuki had known in Garderobe until today, "Go ahead, Youko."

Before the green-eyed beauty could turn around to see the doctor, she was held in place and a syringe full of the NK-124 drug was injected into her neck._ It's like déjà vu. _

A whisper came from the doctor's lips into Natsuki's ear, "Do not fight the drug, Kuga-san."

Natsuki smirked on the inside. _Sly doctor, giving me a command right away. Though, I see no reason to fight it anyway._

With that, Natsuki let the effects of the drug engulf her senses while Youko guided her used-to-be-patient to a different double door in the room.

"Kuga Natsuki, I order you to use your physical and mental abilities to their highest potentials without any restraints once you are beyond that door. Do whatever it takes in order to survive for the next two hours," Anh Lu's voice echoed from the front of the room, making sure the command was heard clearly, "You are allowed one weapon in the arena. Do you have any that you would prefer?"

"A Baretta M9," came the curt response, sounding seemingly uninterested when in reality, she felt apprehensive about the whole "trial" thing. Next thing she knew, her favorite kind of pistol was placed into her hands and the double doors in front her opened, revealing an arena that seemed larger than two football fields. It was dimly lit and looked like a tropical rain forest at first glance. _Tch, the gun is full of real bullets. Figures._

The doors closed behind her with a loud thud, trapping her in the stadium. The teen stood there frozen for a few moments. _What the hell do I do now?_

"Hello? Can you hear me, Kuga Natsuki? Answer me if you can," Anh Lu's voice resonated loudly through the PA system installed in the arena.

The raven-haired girl simply lifted her thumb in the air, inwardly relieved that the voice gave her some company in this massive chamber.

"If I didn't clarify enough before, you will be in there for two hours. However, if you can somehow reach the other end of the arena, you will be considered finished and may leave even if it is before time is up. This will be the last you will hear from me in the next two hours. Do your best, survive, and don't fight the drug. Good luck to you, Kuga Natsuki."

-Click-

The PA system was shut off and now Natsuki was alone in the arena. This was when the drug really started to kick in, forcing the girl into a fast sprint, straight into the artificial rain forest. _Fine, if the drug is going to push me to my limits, I better kick some ass!_

* * *

A crimson-eyed woman full of evident power, confidence and most of all, elegance strode into a dark room and took her seat next to her fellow Council members.

"Ah, I see you've returned. I trust the mission went well?" Anh spoke up, never looking at the other's way while keeping her eyes glued to screen before her.

"Ara, Onee-sama, you're usually not one for small talk. What has caught your attention so firmly?" The woman's eloquent voice was laced with a thick Kyoto accent.

"Just sit down and watch the show," Nao stated gruffly, answering for the First Meister, her eyes also stuck on what was going on.

"Ara, is this a trial?" The woman with piercing red-eyes asked, finally taking a look at the screen. After a few moments of observation, her rubies widened as she analyzed what she saw. "This must be a mistake—"

"No, it's not," Chie cut in, also in the same entranced position as the rest of the Council, "I've checked the computers many times. There are no glitches and there is no mistake."

"Impossible…" The crimson-eyed woman uttered, watching as the dark-haired girl on the screen effortlessly shot down the many holographic opponents going after her. But that wasn't what troubled the tawny-haired woman, "Time: 33 minutes, Damage: 12%, Shots fired: 156, Misses: 156, Hits: 0?!" She focused on the arena once more, watching as the young girl knocked down five more opponents with her gun shots. _She's clearly getting every hit! How is this not a mistake?!...Wait…_ The woman was suddenly struck with a realization that most would take hours to figure out, "She's not killing them."

Anh smiled at her imouto's intellectual deduction, finally turning to her, "Yes, all her shots are purposefully made to disarm her opponent, never to kill. It appears that our computer does not detect a hit that doesn't kill and simply does not record it as a result. Though, it did confuse us for some time since the holograms disappear after any kind of hit, killing or not."

"Then how can we tell the difference between the hits and misses? Shouldn't you have stopped this a while ago?" The fair-haired woman asked.

"Well, Nao here's been watching the whole time—" Anh was cut off by none other than Nao, herself.

"She's finished." The red head's voice seemed bored and uninterested, but perhaps it was just a mask of the true shock that she felt when those words left her lips.

A moment of silence fell upon the top five agents of Garderobe.

"WHAT?!"

They all stared at the arena in disbelief. There Natsuki was, with her hand on the door to the other side of the arena, bent over and panting to catch her breath. The time had stopped at 35 minutes.

"Oi, I'm finished right? Then can I get out of here already?" The husky voice which the Council hadn't heard in the past half-hour resonated through their ears.

Though, the girl in the arena was left unanswered for another silence engulfed the Council. No one before had ever finished before the two hour time period was up and this girl had just done it in 35 minutes. Yes, there was good reason for the top agents in the world to be left speechless at the moment.

"I watched the whole thing. She missed seven shots out of 175," Nao spoke up, needing to release another big piece of information she withheld.

"What's her name?" The crimson-eyed woman tried her best to hide her interest in the stunning new agent but failed miserably.

"Oh ho, what's this I hear? You're never been interested in the new girls that come our way. But now? Are you going to make her your imouto?" Chie chuckled, quite amused at the Second Meister's emotionless reaction.

"Natsuki. Her name is Kuga Natsuki," Anh answered for her imouto, wondering if she truly was interested in the dark-haired girl.

* * *

Natsuki sighed in relief when the double doors finally opened, allowing her to stumble through in exhaustion, "Stupid drug, forced my body to the limits…" she muttered in annoyance, almost forgetting that there were five Council members plus her favorite doctor waiting for her on the other side of that familiar darkened room.

Youko rushed over to the collapsing girl, though she was pushed away due to stubbornness, "You need to be treated, Kuga-san. Follow me."

"No need…I'm alright," As if to prove herself, Natsuki stood up straighter and walked up to the Council, all five members seated and ready for discussion.

Everyone in the room gasped inwardly, all thinking the same thing. _She just disobeyed Youko's order! The drug's effects wore off already?! Who in god's name is this girl?_

Once she regained her train of thought, the First Meister finally spoke up, "Congratulations on completing the trial. For the next 24 hours, your statistics will be given to all agents who are interested in having an imouto. The agent with the highest rank who desires you will become your Onee-sama."

"Imouto? Onee-sama? What the hell are you talking about?" Despite her exhaustion, Natsuki was still able to add that energetic and rebellious tone in her voice. _Can't have them thinking I'm a weakling now can we?_

"Garderobe's agents run on this system of sisterhood to train its new members. Your Onee-sama will mentor you in the ways of Garderobe and will train you to become a top-notch assassin. As an imouto, you are expected to respect and obey her as if she were your own flesh and blood. You may not understand this now, but you will eventually. Trust me when I say it is a very effective way of learning."

Natsuki didn't know what to say to that, so she did what she could do best during a moment like this…stay silent. Little did she know, a crimson-eyed woman was glaring daggers at her for being so rude to her Onee-sama.

Although, unlike her imouto, Anh seemed unperturbed by the girl's silence and decided to move on. After all, it had been a long day for both Natsuki and them, "From there, you will officially become a Garderobe agent. Until then, please allow Youko to escort you back to your room and rest."

The young girl turned to leave when the First Meister spoke once again.

"Oh yes, I forgot. Now that the final member is here I can introduce you. This is the Second Meister, Shizuru Viola."

Like she did with the previous introductions, the dark-haired girl simply nodded her head to acknowledge the person in question. Though she added, "Glad to see you made it to the show," and grinned. Though it immediately faltered when crimson-eyes glared directly at her emeralds and made her freeze before she could even finish that simple gesture.

_This woman….this woman is scary…_ Natsuki thought, finally feeling the danger of an assassin that she had expected from the very beginning but never sensed until meeting the Second Meister.

_Ara, what an insolent child. She may be talented, but her manners will make me kill her before she ever becomes my imouto._ Shizuru thought darkly, actually entertaining the thought in the head for a while. In just a few minutes, all interest in the new girl had left the Second Meister, leaving only bitter remains in her thoughts. _Me with an imouto like that? I could never imagine such a thing…_

"Very well then, good day, Kuga Natsuki," Anh's voice broke the individuals she had just introduced away from their thoughts.

With that, Youko led Natsuki out of the room, leaving the Garderobe Council of Meisters alone once again.

"Well?" Anh nudged Shizuru.

"Well, what? Onee-sama?" Shizuru countered with a perfect mask of innocent indifference, lifting a hot cup of tea to her mouth and sipping it so elegantly, she could have been royalty.

"Is there any chance you will make Kuga Natsuki your imouto?" The First Meister asked curiously, ignoring Shizuru's antics.

"No, none that I know of, Onee-sama. I do not see why you would even ask such a thing," the tawny-haired woman truly appeared bored due to the topic of their conversation.

_Hmmm…it appears my dear imouto is not as interested in the girl as I thought. She seems cold, in fact, like it doesn't matter who will become the new girl's Onee-sama. *Sigh* I don't think there's anyone in the world who will live up to your standards, Shizuru._

* * *

Within the next hour after the trial, the Council had released Natsuki's statistics to the prospective Onee-samas of Garderobe.

"Hits: 0 and Misses: 175!"

"Why would Garderobe allow someone like that in the agency?"

"Geez, Garderobe accepts just about anyone these days."

"Oh, but look! Her time was 35 minutes and 7 seconds! Isn't that something?"

"35 minutes or 2 hours, it doesn't matter if you make zero hits! She probably went through it with her eyes closed and just happens to be a good sprinter!"

The Meisters had decided to release the information as is, without a thorough explanation. As intended, most of the prospective Onee-samas never decided to bat an eye towards the new girl and simply took her to be a weakling. Only the firm few that questioned the stats and wanted to satisfy their curiosity filed for their interest in the new girl. Only those individuals would get more information on the girl, including a video recording of the trial. If word got out of what really happened in the arena, flocks of agents would be dying to make her their imouto. In this way, the Council successfully avoided that.

"How many does that make it, then?" Chie asked the red-headed Council member.

"Four applicants," Nao answered, "Oi, Viola. Are you really not going to file an application?"

Blood-red eyes looked up from her paperwork only to glare at the red-head.

"Alright, alright I get it. No need to burn a hole through my forehead," Nao took a sip from her cup of hot tea, hoping for the deadly Second Meister to cool off.

"But Shizuru, don't you think it's about time for you to have an imouto? Being in the Council, I'm sure you know we are the role models of Garderobe," Chie decided to test the fire, just to see how hot it really was. Chie and Nao were currently in Shizuru's personal office that was attached to her quarters, having a nice break and cup of tea. The three were the closest friends one could ever have in a place like Garderobe, though sometimes they had an odd way of showing it.

The fair-haired woman put her tea down after taking a sip and finally turned her attention to the two individuals in her office, "I'm starting to think you two came here only to ask me silly questions." Although her words were quite tame, the tone of her voice laced with her Kyoto-ben dripped with danger. Yes, it was damn sexy, but dangerous. And I'm not talking about a puppy's bite kind of dangerous. I'm talking about she's-real-close-to-putting-a-bullet-through-your-head kind of dangerous. Luckily, her two friends were unfazed by the silent threat.

"Come on, Shizuru, you know we're only trying to help," Chie reasoned, crossing her arms at the cold shoulder her crimson-eyed friend was giving her.

"Ara, I thank you for your assistance but I can assure you I have no need for it."

"No need my ass! Can you really tell me, straight in the eye, that you have no shred of interest in the new pup?" Nao, as usual, was exasperated at her friend's stubbornness.

"Pup?" Chie cut in.

"Yes, pup." Nao appeared flustered at Chie's frank smirk, "What? It came to mind when I first saw the kid!"

Chie chuckled, "Don't say 'kid' like that. It makes us sound like we're a bunch of old ladies and we're only 24."

"Ara, but 'kid' seems to be just right," her cup of tea halted before it could reach her lips, "In fact, it is the perfect word. What, with her rude manners and rebellious attitude? Yes, she is indeed a 'kid.'"

The obvious annoyance in Shizuru's words stopped the playful banter going on between her two friends. With the newfound silence, Shizuru looked Nao straight in the eye, making the latter wish that she had been careful with what she wished for.

"So, to answer your question, my dear Nao-han, the girl is of no importance or concern to me." The Second Meister backed down and relaxed in her seat, taking another sip of tea, "I'm sure, if she were my imouto, I would put a bullet between her eyes before I could even have the chance to teach her how to tie her shoes. Plus, I'm sure the First Meister would be quite upset. She seems to be quite fond of the girl." This is where the Third and Fifth Meister decided to drop the subject, knowing that they would be going nowhere even if they pushed further.

"Need some help with the paperwork, Shizuru?" Chie asked after a moment of silence.

"No, not particularly, I'm almost done here. Besides, don't you have your own paperwork to attend to because of your next mission, Chie-han?" The red-eyed woman raised a brow in curiosity.

"Yeah, but my mission isn't until next month. Besides…" A smile spread on the Fifth Meister 's face, "I have Tomoe to assist me with it."

"In other words, you make your imouto do it for you," Nao bed-panned.

"Hey you make Nina do it for you, too! Don't make it seem like I'm the only one."

A knock at the door stopped the chatter in Shizuru's office.

"Ah, Onee-sama, so you were here," a young girl with jet-black hair tied up in two high ponytails timidly walked through the doorway.

"What is it, Nina? Is something wrong?" The red-head's playful demeanor disappeared and was replaced with slight concern for the younger girl.

"Oh, no nothing is wrong. I just wondered if there was anything you wanted me to do for you," A small blush spread across Nina's face.

"I'll tell you what…" Nao walked up to her protégé and whispered something in her ear. Meanwhile, Chie and Shizuru watched in interest when they saw the younger girl's eyes light up. With that, Nina left the room and closed the door on the way out.

"What did you tell her?" Shizuru questioned. She was quite surprised at the way her friend responsibly treated her imouto.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Nao's replied snidely with a cheeky grin, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a date with my cute kouhai-chan."

Once Nao was out of the room, Shizuru turned to Chie with a confused look.

Chie simply chuckled, "Relax, Shizuru, she's just going to have a training session with Nina."

The tawny-haired woman mouthed a silent "Oh" as a response.

"Well then, I guess I should be going too. I promised Tomoe I would actually help out with the paperwork today." The Fifth Meister stretched then made her way to the door, stopping before she turned the knob, "Oh, and Shizuru? Think about it, ok? I mean, really think about it."

The crimson-eyed woman was now alone in her spacious office. She let out a deep sigh and put her cheek in the palm of her hand, "An imouto…huh?"

* * *

Night had fallen and Natsuki finally woke up from the long nap she had taken after the trial. She sat in her bedroom alone, caught up in deep thoughts. The silence was beginning to get to her, so she gathered some strength and stood up in a flash. A tray of food sitting on the tabletop caught her attention, along with a small note.

'Please do not leave your room without an escort.' This brought a smirk to Natsuki's face. _Does she really think I would listen to a piece of paper? _

With that in mind, the dark-haired rebel opened her door slowly, peeked out carefully and when the coast seemed clear, strode down the hall like she owned the place. The problem was that she had no idea where she was going and the dark corridor seemed endless. A glowing bluish light was the only thing that caught her eye amidst the doors and walls, though it was quite far down the hall. She made her way to it, drawn by its mysterious color and glow. It was coming from a door that stood slightly ajar. Once the teen reached it, she pushed it open slowly, too entranced to even think about knocking.

However, no knock was needed and a full moon greeted her as the door revealed an expansive room with tall windows for walls. The room was completely empty despite its size, keeping the crimson carpet on the floor bare for all to see. But it was the beauty of the still night that took Natsuki's breath away, drawing her closer and closer to it until her nose was touching the glass. Her hot breath against the cold surface created a spot of moisture. She was so entranced by the scene that something deep inside begged for her to just melt and be one with nature. She brought her hand up to the glass, mesmerized at how the transparent material was the only thing keeping her from the outside world. At this moment, it was the only thing that stopped her escape and trapped her in this prison. Suddenly, it all hit her like a ton of lead bricks.

_My whole life…the life that I've known…the only life I've known… Otou-san. Our house. The home we created together even with Okaa-san's absence…They're all gone. Just like that. Vanished and never to return. _ _I want that life! I want to join the army just like Otou-san did! I want to see the friends I trusted with my life at Fuuka! I want to go off to college! What happened to that life? It's all gone._

-Drip-

She was stunned when tears started to fall silently. _No, why am I crying? _She got frustrated when she couldn't stop them, wiping at them furiously. The warmth that she felt from her previous life was long gone, replaced by a frigid cold that seemed impossible to thaw. She had never felt such raw emotions before and the war in her chest was eating her alive. It was too much for her to handle and her barrage of thoughts were mercilessly reminding her of her reality.

_No, they're not gone. I'm the one who's gone. I'm the one stuck in a world I don't even know. I'm the one trapped in here for who knows how long. I'm considered a murderer out there. I have no future there. God, I sound so damn PITIFUL!_

These devastating thoughts wracked Natsuki's body with grief, causing her to break out into sudden sobs and cries. _Damn it all…_All sanity was lost and she didn't give a damn about any of it. She had been holding in all her emotions for so long and now the dam exploded and began to flood. Her body weakened as she continued to wail softly into the night, causing her to fall on her knees in despair.

_I'm so lost_.

Finally after what seemed like hours, her sobs had quieted and she remained frozen on the floor, still on her knees. She felt so anguished and vulnerable, a stark contrast from her normal confidence. Through watery eyes, she stared down at her hands and clenched her fists.

"Damn it…Damn it all…" Natsuki cursed at how weak she was, wishing for her tears and sorrows to just disappear.

"Get up."

A sharp, cold voice permeated through the room's empty air and echoed through Natsuki's ears, startling her and causing her to whip her head around to discover its source. Natsuki's eyes widened in shock at who entered the room.

"W-What are you doing here?" The dark-haired girl managed to get out with only a slight stutter. Other than that, she was surprised at how strong she could still make her voice.

"Ara, I should be asking you the same question," This was the first time she heard the woman called Shizuru speak. The elegant Kyoto-ben surprised Natsuki because it was not anything like she imagined, so gentle, feminine and sweet, almost singing. Rubies pierced straight through emeralds. "Now, get up."

This time, Natsuki listened and stood slowly. "How long have you been standing there?" She asked uneasily. This was, after all, what she gauged to be the most dangerous woman of the Five Meisters.

"Long enough," Shizuru noted the red, puffy eyes of the young girl, betraying the girl's desire to hide her previous bout of emotions. Though, the brunette mercifully didn't question the girl on the matter, "Why do you shoot, but aim not to kill?"

The question confused Natsuki due to the context of the situation, "Huh? Well…that's because—"

"Whatever your answer is, I don't care. It makes you weak," The interruption was blunt and Natsuki lowered her head when she had nothing to refute the Second Meister's claim.

_It's true…She's right. I use a lot more energy than necessary in order to aim for non-fatal points._

"What's it to you?" She asked defiantly, lifting her eyes to meet crimson once again.

"Not much, really," came the nonchalant reply, unperturbed by the young girl's attitude, "I would just hate to see the opportunity that Garderobe has kindly given you to be wasted, that's all."

"But I…I can't kill. I won't…" The husky voice came to Shizuru's ears so weakly, it unexpectedly brought a pang to the cold-killer's heart. Natsuki looked away, not able to stand the strong gaze that the Second Meister was giving her any longer.

Shizuru lifted a brow, creeping closer to the dejected figure that looked so unlike the girl she had met only a few hours before, "Even if it is Alyssa Searrs?"

Natsuki's head snapped up, only to see that Shizuru's face was now a few inches from her own. She gasped inwardly, but only gazed into those blood-red eyes, pleading silently as if to ask, _Is it ok? Would it be alright if I kill her?_ Little did the younger girl know, her message was heard loud and clear. A small upward curve appeared on Shizuru's lips for a split-second, making Natsuki wonder whether or not it was really there.

Shizuru backed off, widening the distance between the two women. "From what I hear, you are to meet your prospective Onee-samas tomorrow. When you are finished, come to my office. That is an order." The brunette turned on her heel and left the dark-haired girl in the room before she could receive a reply, "Good night, Natsuki."

* * *

**Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed the second installment. Reviews are appreciated!**


	3. Chapter 3 - Onee-sama

**Chapter 3: Onee-sama...**

******Kuga Natsuki believes herself to be a normal high school girl who aspires to join the military in her father's footsteps. All that changes when a highly trained assassin appears and somehow Natsuki is framed for a heinous crime she did not commit. Suddenly she is thrust into Garderobe, a secret elite school run by the government that trains the most talented assassins in the world, in order to escape her death sentence and take her revenge on the assassin that ruined her life. But there is more that ties Natsuki to this world of killing than this aspiration for revenge...**

* * *

After her encounter with one Shizuru Viola, Natsuki had trouble going back to sleep for the rest of the night. Much to her dismay, she was woken up at an early hour and was told to get ready because, like the Second Meister predicted, she was to meet her prospective Onee-samas. Altogether, her lack of sleep and unsettling thoughts of the night before resulted in a very easily irritated and rebellious Kuga Natsuki.

_Damn it. I showed all of my weaknesses to that woman!_ She leaned back in the cushioned chair that was in the room she usually occupied and put an arm over her forehead. _There goes my badass image… _She gritted her teeth in frustration. _How could I let myself slip like that? It's like the woman had this control over me. And now she wants me in her office?!_

Youko entered the room and found Natsuki in that position, "Kuga-san, are you alright?" She couldn't help but lace her tone with underlying concern.

"Everything's fucking peachy thank you very much."

The doctor winced at the uncouth comment, taking Natsuki's foul attitude to be just another one of the girl's many mood swings, "Well then we should get going now. The first of your possible Onee-samas will have to meet you soon."

Natsuki grumbled as she stood up, muttering curses under her breath, but Youko took no heed, "At Garderobe there are several ranks that you should be familiar with. Everyone starts off as a Novice where when you reach a certain level, you move up to Third Class, then Second Class and finally, First Class. Once you are a First Class agent, you have the chance to move up to First Class Captain, Lieutenant and Commander, with Commander as the highest rank. All agents are ranked within their classes as well. Then of course there are the Five Meisters. You can only become a Meister by defeating one that is already seated or when one is no longer able to continue being an agent of Garderobe. Do you understand me?"

The walk towards their destination had somewhat calmed Natsuki down, giving only a nod to answer the doctor's question.

"Only First Class agents are able to take an imouto under their wing where, as an Onee-sama, they are to become mentors throughout an agent's training. Now, here's how the Onee-sama selection process works. Like I'm sure you already know, the Novice goes through a trial and the statistics recorded from that trial are released to all First Class agents. Any who are interested in the new Novice must file an application, stating their intent in becoming the Novice's Onee-sama. From there, the five highest ranking First Class agents who filed applications are narrowed down and presented to the Novice. If the Novice wishes, she will choose from those five. If not, then the highest ranking agent will automatically become the Novice's Onee-sama."

"Wonderful," Natsuki replied sarcastically, "I just want some kick ass trainer who'll teach me how to kick ass too."

"Now, Kuga-san, there is much more to having an Onee-sama than just training," Youko countered gently.

"Yeah, yeah…"

* * *

The early morning seemed to go by too slowly in Shizuru's point of view. Like how it usually is, there was not much work to do after she returned from her recent mission. She had already completed her paper work the day before and was now left with some time off before another mission would come to call. Having nothing to distract her besides her daily cup of tea, she was currently preoccupied by her own thoughts, a never-ending train passing through since last night.

_Ara ara…Why did I do that last night? I wonder what made me say those things? And I even asked her to meet me in my office._ The brunette leaned over her desk and cradled her head in her hands. _All this imouto talk is getting to my head._ She sighed deeply. _Kuga Natsuki…_ She loved how the name rolled off her tongue, especially when spoken with her Kyoto accent.

"Shizuru, is everything alright?" A familiar voice snapped the woman in question out of her reverie.

"Oh of course, Onee-sama, I was just too engulfed in my own thoughts," Shizuru answered smoothly, hiding her true turmoil under her perfect mask.

Anh, who knew her protégé all too well, was left unconvinced by Shizuru's excuse but decided not to pry any further, "You're not too busy are you? If so, I have a favor to ask of you…"

Shizuru eyed her onee-sama warily before agreeing to take the job. Next thing she knew, she was on her way to one of the many training rooms of Garderobe, each equipped with holographic technology similar to that of the trial arena.

_I simply need you to watch and make sure protocol is followed._

"Ara, what exactly did she mean by 'make sure protocol is followed'?" By the time she finished that thought, Shizuru now stood in front of her destination, Training Cell 215. She slid her "Meister Access Key" to unlock and enter the room, only to be greeted by the sight of a midnight-haired girl in a pure white chamber. Each training room was divided into two areas: the observation room and the actual training room itself. What separated the two was a one way window in which those in the observation room could not be seen by those in the training room. The observation room was much smaller, had painted walls with dark colors and only one bench to occupy it. The training portion, on the other hand was a pure white room that was much larger and contained the computer technology required so that any training scenario could be formulated.

There were no holograms being used at the moment and it appeared that the younger girl was actually sparring with another agent. Meanwhile, the Second Meister was prompted by another familiar figure currently sitting comfortably in the observation room.

"Youko-sensei, what a present surprise," her lilting voice immediately caught the other figure's attention.

"Ah, it's so nice of Anh to send the Second Meister. Thanks for the help, Shizuru-san. I don't really mind doing these kinds of things but I do need to get back to my patients. Good day." With that small exchange, Youko exited the room with a smile.

With the close of the door, it all clicked into place like perfectly meshing gears in a tightly wound clock. Today was the beginning of the Onee-sama selection process for Kuga Natsuki. _Sly as always, Onee-sama. However…you do underestimate my irritation for those who are poorly mannered. As much as you take interest in the girl, I cannot make her my imouto for you. _Recollections of the younger girl's insolent comments and rude behavior only seemed to replenish Shizuru's annoyance. _There is no reason for me to be anxious or troubled. Why I even felt that way, how unlikely of me…_

With those words in mind, Shizuru spent the next few hours monitoring Natsuki's "meetings" with her possible Onee-samas. These meetings consisted of a few minutes of interview followed by a small training session. The first two of the possible four candidates, Shizuru recognized as Akane Soir and Yukino Chrysant, both in the running to become First Class Captains. They were quite talented agents, but the crimson-eyed Meister couldn't help but notice the small scowl on the young girl's face during the interview. _Oh, how interesting._ She chuckled at the expression on the girl's face, amused at the realization that these two agents were probably the sweetest and most level-headed in all of Garderobe, a complete opposite of what she believed would suit Natsuki's taste, based on what she already observed from the girl.

_Oh, this is going to be fun._

* * *

Natsuki slumped against one of the pure white walls of the training area once the fourth candidate left. She had on her "polite" demeanor for every agent that walked through the room, something she had picked up to earn her teachers' respect in high school. But the minute they left, she wiped it off her face immediately. _I know I'm a real charmer, huh?_

"Oi, Youko-sensei, how many more do I have to go through? I don't know how much more of this I can take," The dark-haired girl was not physically, but mentally exhausted. All the candidates did not match the "kick ass trainer" image she had going on. They were either too sweet it made her skin crawl or too relaxed in the type of training they had planned out for Natsuki. _I'm trying to go after Alyssa Fucking Searrs here! I'm going to need a little more help than a 'nice and easy transition into Garderobe's training style.'_

The door to the glass room opened, in which Natsuki sat up quickly and put back her likeable mask. Though to her surprise, she dropped it the instant her eyes fell on the person that walked in.

"Y-You!" She barked, trying to hide her obvious shock, but failing miserably.

"Ara? Yes, Kuga-san, it is me," Shizuru's cold, yet graceful Kyoto-ben rung through Natsuki's ears, almost paralyzing her for a few moments.

"Don't tell me _you're_ one of the candidates?!" The question was asked rather spitefully with a face of repulsion, something Natsuki was able to fabricate at the last minute rather than revealing a look of pure horror.

Ignoring the girl's unseemly attitude, the exclamation made the brunette pause for one second. _Me, a candidate? Ara, ara this confusion can work well to my advantage...and maybe a little entertainment._ The crimson-eyed woman thought mischievously. She had only entered the room to tell the girl she was finished with the meetings, but found the new situation much more amusing than a simple debriefing.

"And what if I am?" Shizuru unconsciously raised a brow, not knowing that she was actually leaving a fuller effect of intimidation on the girl.

Natsuki could only glare back defiantly, not speaking.

The Second Meister took this moment to take control of the situation. She was also fed up with the previous four candidates, obviously not the kinds of Onee-samas that would be useful for the girl's particular needs and potential. "Stand up, we're going to do some sparring." The look of confusion which the brunette received from the younger girl brought an exasperated sigh to her lips, "We're going to skip the interview for now. Now, stand."

Shizuru's patience grew thin when the girl moved at such a glacial pace, seemingly taking too long to follow the simple command. The brunette grabbed ahold of Natsuki's arm and threw the girl across the room, making her land sprawled on the white floor.

"What the hell was that for?!" Natsuki asked brashly after sitting up, her mind now cleared of its confusion from the unpleasant fall.

"You're too slow," Shizuru snapped. Her voice was no longer as soft and gentle as it was during normal conversations. She had gone into authoritative-mode, her Kyoto-ben still intact but now laced with cold power and expertise, "When your superior commands you to do something, it is expected that you follow and execute it to the best of your ability. Plus, at your speed your opponent will crush you before you get the chance to retaliate. Now do not make me repeat myself again. Stand."

Natsuki did as she was told, much faster than her last attempt, though still keeping the rebellious look in her eyes.

"Good girl. Now, come at me with all you've got. Don't worry about hurting me. I don't expect…much," Shizuru did her best to provoke the girl with that demeaning last bit. And it worked.

Natsuki made her move by lunging forward, grabbing the older woman's arms and locking them in an odd angle behind her back. Natsuki then kicked the back of Shizuru's knees in order for them to buckle, sending them falling towards the floor with the younger girl's weight on top.

"Good, but this position does not prepare you for an attack like…this." In one swift move, the Second Meister was able to flip their positions, leaving Shizuru on top and Natsuki pinned underneath her. "You see, mastering a hold such as this one leaves you too confident to expect anything else." When it was clear who the winner was, the older woman released her hold on the girl and told her to stand once more.

"Ara, is that all you have up your sleeves?" Her taunting voice gnawed at Natsuki's pride, forcing herself back on her feet and attacking once again.

This time the teen sent a flurry of punches and kicks, ribbons of midnight tresses streaking wherever its source turned, but all were easily deflected by the brunette. She had been aiming for the woman's pressure points or damaging hits to incapacitate her opponent, which Shizuru expected.

"Stop wasting your energy, Natsuki! Aim for a fatal blow and your attacks may hit."

The fact that Shizuru had just called her by her first name without an honorific did not register in her mind. She was far too immersed in the situation, desperately trying to prove the Second Meister wrong.

When it seemed like the younger girl began to tire, Shizuru decided to make her move. The deadly agent of Garderobe switched from defense to offense in a flash, landing hit after agile hit on the teen. Shizuru decided to not show any mercy, wanting to demonstrate what a "true attack" meant. With one final sweep of the leg, the Second Meister forced Natsuki on her stomach, knowing that she would not be able to get back up anytime soon.

Shizuru approached the semi-unconscious figure that lay on the ground helplessly, "And you expect me to believe that you are going after Alyssa Searrs? How naïve," She was about to turn on her heel and exit the training room when she felt something grab her leg.

"W-Wait…please…can you train me? I need to fight her…please…Can you help me beat Searrs? I need to destroy her…like she destroyed me," Natsuki begged with no shame, too delirious from the pain and too desperate to realize her instinctual actions.

The brunette stared down at the younger girl with a stoic expression, "I don't train children who wish to be pitied," She replied coldly, in a way in which the words made Natsuki sober up and realize that she hated what the woman tried to imply.

"I DON'T WANT YOUR PITY, GODDAMNIT!" Natsuki's sudden burst of energy brought her to her feet, bringing her emeralds up to the level of genuinely surprised rubies.

The Second Meister didn't say anything when the girl grabbed her shirt with two hands and pierced her eyes with stunningly pure-green ones. Sure, the position would be intimidating if it wasn't for the fact that the girl was a bit shorter than her and looked like she would collapse at any minute.

"It's the only reason why I chose to live! It's the only reason why I agreed to become an agent of Garderobe!" Natsuki's words paralleled the searing fire in her eyes, "Why the fuck do you think I'm here?! Yes, my Otou-san was killed. Yes, I want to avenge his death. Yes, I joined Garderobe to accomplish this, but in NO FUCKING WAY does that mean I need your fucking pity!" the girl lightly shook the Second Meister through the fists of clothing she held in her hands, "If a _Meister_ can't understand this then I doubt anyone in Garderobe can help me. I'd rather have stayed in that cell of mine and waited until my death, because there's really no point in this. So you can choose to either train me..." Natsuki maintained eye contact with Shizuru, letting the older woman know that she was dead serious. She reached into her side pocket to pull out the Baretta M9 she was given for the trial and placed it in the Second Meister's hands. "…or just kill me now—"

The girl's dead weight suddenly collapsed onto Shizuru's, finally succumbing to her injuries and exhaustion. _Ara, quite dramatic now, aren't we?_ She thought while gazing at the unconscious face of Kuga Natsuki. If it were any other person, the fair-haired Meister would have surely beaten him or her to a pulp by now because of all the foul language that soured her ears. For some reason, she was actually truly impressed by the younger girl's bold confrontation, laced with a kind of determination and wit that she had never seen before. _There really is something in this girl…I cannot seem to put my finger on it._ _Yes, there are many promising agents with these same qualities, but none like hers. No, hers is almost…raw. Unsullied by outside opinions so that it ends up becoming so pure, yes, so pure of a burning flame of emotions. It is truly something she can claim to be of her _own_ intelligence. _ Shizuru thought while avoiding the admission of the fact that the girl truly had grasped her interests. Most wouldn't even dare to stand up to a Meister and since we're talking about the Second Meister here, it is considered unheard of. But all joking aside, she knew now that there were some important things that needed to be done. _Suddenly, I feel like there will be a lot of paperwork in my near future…_

* * *

Natsuki dreamed of "that night" once again…

She remembered how she watched in horror as her body moved against her will, lifting the gun in her hands to aim directly at her father's head. She remembered how that blonde woman killed her father after she failed to do so.

-Bang!-

She could still hear the gun shot that rang through the air before the bullet went straight through her father's skull. She watched unable to move as blood streamed from the wound, causing her to look away, wishing that she had never seen such a grotesque sight.

She felt the woman's touch when she pressed her body against her own. Her body boiled with heat and anger.

"Get the fuck off me! I swear to god I'm going to kill you!" She jerked upward and into consciousness, causing the figure that was leaning over her to move back as well.

"Ara, I see your bouts of colorful language have permeated through your dreams as well," a sexy line of Kyoto-ben coaxed Natsuki into realization.

"You again!"

Shizuru merely sighed at the girl's reaction, "Why do I feel like this is déjà vu that I would rather not go through?"

It turns out that Natsuki woke up to find herself in a room that was quite different from the one she usually stayed in. This one was gigantic and lavishly decorated with expensive furniture and dark burgundy carpet. Plus, the bed she was in was king-sized, topped with fluffy pillows and exquisite silk sheets. She looked down and noticed that she was in a flowing light-blue nightgown, its rich texture matching the expense that the room was adorned with.

"This is your room isn't it?" Natsuki eyed those crimson orbs warily, "Why am I here?"

"Ara, I think it is only proper for an onee-sama to take care of her imouto, ne?" Shizuru put the wet cloth that she was about to place on the girl's forehead aside.

"Onee-sama? What are you talking about?!"

"It's really quite simple. I filed an application stating my interest in becoming your Onee-sama."

Natsuki could only blink in surprise and confusion, something that Shizuru found quite bothersome, that is until the words came out slowly. "Sooooo…back then, when you said that you were one of candidates, you lied?"

"Yes." The confession was stated bluntly without even batting an eye.

"Then, what happened to the real fifth candidate?"

"There was no fifth candidate."

"Huh? But I thought I was supposed to meet five candidates."

"There were only four agents who applied," upon seeing the perplexed look on the younger woman, the Meister spoke blatantly, "Oh, it's not that much of a surprise. Your statistics were absolutely dreadful to those who did not know what truly traversed inside that arena during your trial."

"Oh…right." The younger woman's pale cheeks spotted a slight pink, much to Shizuru's amusement.

"What's the matter? Oh don't worry, you still have time so if you aren't satisfied you can always choose from the list of Onee-samas that you have already seen."

"No way am I having one of _them_ be the person who trains me!" The dark-haired girl barked defiantly.

"Then I believe you have no choice," Shizuru stood up and pulled on the gray cardigan that she had hung on a chair, preparing herself to leave.

"Why are you doing this for me?" They both knew that they would only get on each other's nerves at the rate they were going.

"Hmmm…for some reason I think I would feel even more irritated with myself if I watch you be taken under the wing of some other Onee-sama." The brunette's answer was so straightforward and confusing at the same time. _It's quite hard to explain my reasoning…how odd of me to make such a decision that is based mostly on instinct. _Shrugging her peculiar thoughts away, she took another step towards the door to make her leave.

"Wait." The voice that came out of the blunette was almost shy; it caught Shizuru off guard, turning to face the source.

_Oh dear, this girl's mood swings are going to give me a whiplash._

"You don't have to do this for me," Natsuki lowered her head dejectedly, like that of timid puppy not wanting to accept its treat because she felt she did not deserve it, "Like I said, I don't want your pity."

Shizuru looked back into Natsuki's green orbs and smirked, "Trust me when I say I'm not doing this out of pity."

"Self-satisfaction?" Natsuki asked without missing a beat.

"Mmmm…curiosity or an escape from boredom, perhaps?" the Second Meister chuckled softly, "At any rate, I suggest you rest some more before we have to go through the initiation. Don't worry, this is not my room, but the one connected to it, so I'll be next door if you need anything. It scares me how well-planned this building was to make two rooms connected for every sister pair." The last part was a simple afterthought and with that, the brunette left the room.

_Hmmm…Kuga…Kudo…Krono…Kruger! Yes, Natsuki Kruger would fit perfectly…_

* * *

**Author's Note: Thanks to those who have reviewed, favorited and followed my story! They are all greatly appreciated and are what motivate me to continue updating. Until next time, I hope you enjoyed this new chapter!**_  
_


	4. Chapter 4 - Initiation

**Chapter 4: Initiation**

**Sorry for not updating for a while! The story continues...**

**Recap: Natsuki's father was murdered by Alyssa Searrs, so she agreed to join Garderobe in order to seek revenge. After Natsuki's unconventional Garderobe trial, the seemingly deadly Second Meister, Shizuru, somehow agrees to become her Onee-sama. They have clashed several times already...What is there to come?**

* * *

Natsuki's training as a novice began immediately after she recovered from the little sparring match she had with Shizuru. Although quite thrilled on the inside, she grudgingly accepted Shizuru as her Onee-sama and her official initiation would take place in a few days time. Meanwhile, Natsuki attended the classes that current novices were taking. At Garderobe, classes were held on a perpetual basis where new students would come and simply follow whatever is being taught at the time. On her first day, she sat in a classroom listening to the lecture and felt completely unsatisfied with this type of "training." _This is just like high school all over again! But instead we're focusing on human anatomy and psychology!_ However, she held in her opinions in hope that the next day would be better.

To her dismay, her second day was not better. The novices were given written assignments and tests based off of the lecture from the previous day. This is when gossip and rumors began about the rebellious new novice that seemed to never touch her papers during the whole class period.

Natsuki, of course, heard these whispers being passed around but remained laid back in her seat with her arms folded and her eyes closed. Class was ten hours long and Natsuki seemed to keep that position the whole time, to her fellow novices' dismay and confusion. The next few days consisted of the same routine, a lecture then a couple of assignments and tests and Natsuki's seemingly never-moving figure.

"What, does she think she's better than all of us that she can't take these tests?"

"No, she just doesn't know anything!"

"What was Shizuru-oneesama thinking, choosing a girl like that?"

Meanwhile, Natsuki and Shizuru's relationship did not develop much over the past few days mainly because Shizuru was rarely ever in her office or room when Natsuki returned from her novice classes. Plus, whenever Shizuru was present, she always seemed to be extremely busy so the farthest their conversations had gone was a simple, "How was your day?" and "Fine."

This distance somewhat irked Natsuki. _I thought she was going to be the one to train me, not these stupid classes. _Instead of speaking up about it, she held back, seeing the constant tired look in the Second Meister's eyes and giving the classes a little more time before judging them too quickly.

On the fifth day of "training," instead of the constant lecture-assignment-test routine they had going on, they would each be taking what Natsuki was told to be a monthly diagnostic exam designed to test what level each novice was at through a sparring match.

Of course, this brought Natsuki out of her "slumber." _Finally, something that may be more interesting than that high-school-like crap._ The class walked over to an expanse room that looked like a very high-tech gym, equipped with computers at every angle that could record each sparring match and calculate the level of each novice.

"Okay novices, line up!" The flame-red haired trainer called Midori, instructed. "Novice Mikoto and Novice Erstin, step forward."

Natsuki watched carefully as two small girls that looked much younger than herself, one with spikey black hair tied in braids and the other with short blonde hair, stepped forward.

"I am Novice Erstin Ho and I have been in Garderobe for 4 months, level 3," the blonde one announced.

"I am Novice Mikoto Minagi and I have been in Garderobe for 3 months, also level 3," the black-haired one spoke back.

Midori put her hand in between the two girls, "Bow….Fight!"

Mikoto and Erstin immediately sprang into action, beginning the bouts of sparring matches of the day. Natsuki watched each match closely, learning the moves of other novices, observing the tactics that were executed. _So this is what level 3 to level 5 novices can do…_ Natsuki observed that all of the novices that fought so far were between these ranges. _That's right, I read the handbook. You can move up a level if the computers that analyze your match calculate that you are ready to move up. Novices can go up to level 10. Once they reach that, they may take the Third Class qualifying exam, yada yada ya._

"Novice Tomoe and Novice Natsuki, please step forward!" Midori ordered after several matches had already taken place.

Natsuki obeyed and took a step forward, only to be confused by the frantic murmuring that arose from the others.

"Isn't this kind of unfair?"

"The newbie with Tomoe? How unlucky for her since these matches are chosen randomly."

"This oughta be quick. Tomoe's onee-sama is also the Fifth Meister, Chie-oneesama."

When Natsuki looked up, sure enough, this girl named Tomoe, with a short light green fringe and odd hairstyle exuded a confidence more than that of any other novice. _Well what do we have here?_ Natsuki thought in intrigue.

"I am Novice Tomoe Marguerite and I have been in Garderobe for 1 year, level 9."

Natsuki's eyebrows rose in surprise. _Finally something interesting happens in this place._ "The name's Natsuki. I've been in here for 5 days so I don't really have a level."

At hearing this, Midori stepped in with a worried look on her face, "Novice Natsuki, I allow you to be paired with someone else. Facing a stronger opponent is indeed encouraged, but I'm afraid this will be too unfair of a fight."

At this, Natsuki didn't even bat an eye, "There's no need for that. I will face Novice Tomoe."

The crowd's murmurs grew louder with numerous exclamations of "She's crazy!" reaching the dark-haired beauty's ears. _Tch…you guys have no idea._ Natsuki thought.

The trainer gave a small pause before answering, "Very well." Midori then put her hand in between the two, "Bow…Fight!"

"What's this, a suicide attempt?" Tomoe's snide voice echoed through the gym as she took her fighting stance, "Whatever it is, go ahead. I'll let you make the first move," she stated degradingly.

Natsuki also took her fighting stance and appeared unperturbed by Tomoe's demeaning tone, "There will also be no need for that."

The green haired girl paused for one moment. _Her stance appears quite practiced. But there's no need to worry since her stats from the trial were so low._ "Oh really? Well then let's just see about that. I'm going to wipe that false confidence off of your face." Tomoe lunged for a swift punch, confident that she would hit her mark. But she was shocked to find that she had lunged for air after the new novice easily side-stepped her attack. "Tch, lucky dodge for you."

_You wish._ Natsuki regained her fighting stance, taking a deep calming breath in. Moving in closer to Tomoe, she threw a punch and missed after the level 9 novice dodged it easily, earning several snickers from the crowd. Little did they know, Natsuki was simply analyzing her opponent's abilities before making any rash actions.

"Oh what are you going to do now, fight? Are you sure you don't want your Second Meister onee-sama to do it for you? You must have done something to get Shizuru onee-sama to take you as her imouto, right?"

The dark-haired beauty made several more attacks that she fully expected Tomoe to dodge, which she did, but she was getting more and more irritated by her opponent's provocations. That's when Tomoe took her turn to attack, landing a hard right hook to Natsuki's cheek. Natsuki immediately stepped back and took a defensive stance. With a grin on her face, Tomoe closed the distance between the two and threw a fast series of attacks Natsuki's way. Natsuki could have dodged these attacks easily but instead blocked them to gauge the other girl's strength and speed. _So this is what a level 9 can do? Puh-lease._

Of course, no one could hear Natsuki's interior monologue and from an outsider's perspective, Tomoe appeared to have the upper hand and the newbie was only able to keep up by blocking every attack. However, everyone was already amazed that the new girl could even keep up with Tomoe, the seasoned novice.

In the throes of her offensive bout, Tomoe's arrogance was boosted when she noticed that her opponent appeared to resort to defensive moves in order to keep up. "Yeah that's right, know your place and cower before me! You just want everyone to pity you too, huh? 'Ooh I went against a level 9 novice and got all beat up, wah!'"

_Focus, Natsuki, focus. She's just trying to get you to lose your temper. Don't let her get to you!_ Natsuki's inner voice was having a very hard time holding in her anger when she knew she could just beat the crap out of the infuriating girl in front of her.

"I heard about your past. You should know, what they're saying about you is right! Garderobe must have accepted you out of pity because your daddy was killed!" Tomoe laughed, "Heh, I bet your daddy died so easily because he was too weak to defend himself, just like his daughter!"

"Tomoe stop and just get on with the fight." Midori cut in, knowing the girl had gone too far.

But it was too late. Tomoe had nicked the wrong nerve. Natsuki's fury was unleashed and in a flash she made it her goal to beat Tomoe for all she was worth. A surprised Tomoe attempted to fight back and should be given credit for being able to block some of Natsuki's flurry of punches and kicks. But Natsuki's agility and power were too great for the level 9 novice and she was soon taking many of Natsuki's attacks, unable to retaliate. After feeling satisfied with using Tomoe as a punching bag, Natsuki kneed her opponent in the gut and knocked her on the floor where she was able to pin the infuriating girl with her weight.

"Do you yield?" Natsuki's husky voice was low and dangerous. _Be lucky I'm following the handbook, bitch. "Always allow your opponent to yield" for a fair match, my ass._

Tomoe simply spat on her, "To the likes of you, the kind that feeds off of Shizuru-oneesama's kindness?" she growled, "never."

This drove Natsuki mad, bringing her blood to dangerous temperatures. She began smashing Tomoe's face in until blood soaked her fists and then paused. "I'm asking you again, do you yield?" her voice was low and raspy, emphasizing her deathly tone.

"N-No," came the weak reply.

"What's this, a suicide attempt?" Natsuki replied in a high-pitched voice, mocking Tomoe's earlier words. With that, the dark-haired beauty got up off of Tomoe and walked away from the match. "I deem my opponent unable to continue."

Natsuki was prepared to leave it at that, but in desperation, Tomoe gathered her last ounces of strength and charged towards the dark-haired beauty. Showing no mercy, Natsuki swiped her leg up, hitting Tomoe's chin and used two fingers to jab them with all her strength to a pressure point on Tomoe's neck. At first, the green-haired girl appeared to be frozen in place, but soon a little blood leaked out of her mouth and she slumped to the floor. Frightened gasps rung out while Natsuki walked back to her place in line as if nothing out of the ordinary had traversed.

"Novice Natsuki! You are to report to my office immediately!" Midori commanded with a stern and disappointed tone while tending to Tomoe, "Class is dismissed!"

After a stern scolding and the promise to make a proper apology to Tomoe, Midori made Natsuki sit in an empty, locked training room to reflect on her actions while she went to get her onee-sama.

It had been a good thirty minutes since Natsuki was first locked in the room and she couldn't help but be annoyed at how much this resembled detention or a trip to the principal's office in high school.

"_Novice Natsuki, will you please explain to me why you would go so far in a diagnostic match?_"

"_First Class Midori, I did not mean to harm Tomoe and with all due respect, I did allow her to yield several times._"

_As if she didn't hear Natsuki's surprisingly formal words, the trainer continued, "I will not allow my students to believe your actions are tolerable in my class, do you understand?"_

Back in the isolated room, Natsuki was sitting in a seat without a desk and stared at the wall without really seeing it. _For the record, I did follow the handbook._ She stared down at her hands, which she washed after the match. _Blood. Blood soaked these hands._ Suddenly, her father's unmoving figure and growing pool of blood flashed before her eyes, along with the menacing eyes of Alyssa Searrs. Natsuki closed her eyes and shuddered in fear, unable to get those images out of her head.

"Natsuki?" An elegant voice broke Natsuki away from her troubling thoughts. She looked up to see Shizuru standing at the door with a stern look in her eye, although she could have sworn she saw a flash of worry. "Come." Her voice was ice cold and it made Natsuki gulp in her mind.

They walked back to their quarters in silence; Natsuki obediently followed Shizuru and wondered what she would do once they reached a more private environment.

Shizuru took her seat in her office and clasped her hands above her desk with her eyes closed, as if in deep thought. Natsuki waited patiently, feeling smaller and smaller by the second and more ashamed of her actions like a 5-year-old who got caught punching one of her classmates before Shizuru finally spoke.

"Natsuki, will you please explain to me why I had to pick you up from your trainer's office because I was told you severely injured the Fifth Meister's imouto?" Her blood-red eyes pierced through frightened emeralds, unwavering in her gaze and armoring it to kill. Her tone was deathly low, so dangerous it would stupor most people into submission.

Natsuki gulped before answering in a steady voice, "Hey, I followed the rules in the handbook and it was as fair of a match as it could have been under my given circumstances."

"Fair? You call beating a fellow novice up until she was paralyzed to the point where she will be needing physical therapy, fair?"

"I allowed her to yield several times. I—"

"You what? You thought it would be fun to be the delinquent again? I've been hearing things, Natsuki, like you haven't been doing your work in your training classes or taking your tests. Do you think this is all a game?!" Shizuru's usually calm voice had started to crack under her furious and disappointed tone.

Natsuki was utterly confused, "Delinquent? Not taking my tests? Where did you hear such a thing?"

The fact that Natsuki did not deny her claims only fueled Shizuru on further, "It's not hard for news to travel around Garderobe, especially when I hear my imouto being mentioned several times throughout the days. So you refuse to do the written work but when the time comes for physical training, you are unable to control yourself, show off that you are better than everyone else and severely injure someone to prove it? I took you to be my imouto because I thought there was something in you that I've never seen in anyone else before. And what do you do with that opportunity? This!"

"Shut the fuck up!" Natsuki yelled, full of fury, unable to keep her choice of words within a respectable level to fully express her emotions, "I have no idea where you are getting these false accusations from, but it is nowhere in hell true," she walked up to Shizuru's desk, slammed her hands down and bent low so that they were literally seeing eye to eye. "First of all, I was under the impression that YOU would be the one training me, so I don't see your end of our agreement being met. And as I've already said, I allowed Tomoe to yield several times to which she refused. I walked away when I knew she was unable to fight even when she did NOT yield and yet she still tried to attack me with my back turned. I simply reacted on instinct and self-defense. Yes, my defense and retaliation may have been a bit severe but hey, that's what you get when you blatantly insult my father's death to purposely provoke me!" With this, Natsuki began to walk away, leaving Shizuru speechless due to the confusion and the fact that she couldn't decide whether to be angry at Natsuki's rudeness or stunned at her courage to stand up to her.

Natsuki turned around one more time and strode back to Shizuru, who still was not speaking, "And as for the 'not doing my work' rumor you've been hearing…"

-SLAM!-

Natsuki slapped a paper down on Shizuru's desk, "make sure your sources are accurate before accusing me of something. Good day, _Onee-sama_." The last word was spoken with such contempt that Shizuru's mouth ended up hanging slightly open, stunned at the events that occurred.

When Shizuru was alone in her office, now silent after Natsuki left to her room and slammed the door on the way in, she picked up the small piece of paper that her imouto left and her eyes widened slightly. The document was a record of everything that Natsuki had done so far in her training classes. For every assignment and every test, Natsuki received 100%. On the bottom, the results of the diagnostic exam read: Novice Level 10, Qualified to take the Third Class Qualifying Exam.

For the rest of the evening, Natsuki remained locked up in her room, fuming at Shizuru's false accusations. _I thought she was on "my side" when I joined this dump. I thought SHE would be the one who was different from all the other onee-samas. Looks like I'm on my own…_ She heard Shizuru leaving her office before she dozed off for the night. _I wonder what she's up to…_

The next morning, Natsuki woke up at her usual bright and early time to attend classes at 6 am. She strode into the classroom confidently, as if nothing had happened the day before. Of course, the usual whispers surrounded her every time she walked in, but the dark-haired beauty was used to it by now so she simply brushed it off. She was about to take her seat when…

"Novice Natsuki, what are you doing?" Midori's sharp voice made Natsuki halt her movements and look up in confusion.

"Uh, I'm taking my seat First Class Midori." The poor girl had no idea what she did wrong now.

"Second Meister Shizuru has officially withdrawn you from Novice classes starting today. Your presence is no longer required here Novice Natsuki and I would appreciate it if you left so that we may resume class activities."

Loud murmurs erupted immediately after hearing these words.

"I see Shizuru-oneesama's trying to tame her imouto."

"Tame? She hasn't been initiated yet so I say she doesn't want _her_ to be her imouto anymore!"

That last sentence perked Natsuki's ears. _She may not want me to be her imouto anymore? She's cancelling our agreement?_ The thought enraged Natsuki, but she did not let this emotion reach the contours of her face. "Ok…whatever," she mumbled with a passive tone. With that, Natsuki swiftly walked out of the room with only one destination in mind.

During her few days in Garderobe, Natsuki had stumbled upon an unlocked training room, equipped with training weapons and opponents made from holographic technology that no one seemed to use. After classes she would usually go there to work out and train herself before heading back to her room. Right now, she needed some form of release to steady her emotions that had been in turmoil since the day before. The minute she burst through the door to her special room, she grabbed the gun she had been using the last time she trained, set the computers to a 5-hour training session and hit the "options" button before beginning. Usually, she allowed the computer to gauge what level out of 20 was appropriate for her, which turned out to be between 10 and 12. Without a second thought, she hit "level 20" and readied her gun for the intense workout heading her way.

The lights immediately dimmed and a dark and gloomy holographic terrain appeared before her. Natsuki found herself to be in a dense rainforest, darkly shadowed by the night sky with only small rays of glowing, bluish light peeking through the leaves from the moon's illumination. She could barely see her hand in front of her face, but nevertheless, she waited calmly for the computer to count her down and begin.

"5…4…3…2…1…Level 20 commencing now." The soothing tone of the electronic female voice echoed through Natsuki's ears. _Let's do this._

Before her emerald eyes could detect anything, she felt a sharp pain to her hand that began to spread throughout her whole arm.

"Level 20: You were captured and have been injected with an unknown poison. You managed to escape but could not find the antidote…begin." The computer voice chimed.

_So level 20 gives me a little scenario, huh? Cool, but damn this hurts._ The virtual poison eventually spread throughout her entire body, bringing a searing pain to her very being. Gunfire began to rain down on the novice, but despite her handicap, she sprang into action and knocked down all the holograms that began to attack her. She soon got into a rhythm that prevented her from succumbing to the pain and she became an unstoppable beast that seemed to be able to go on for hours.

"77 minutes have passed, Hits: 0, Misses: 307." The electronic voice returned to Natsuki's ears after some time.

_Zero hits. Yeah, yeah, yeah._ Like in her trial, every time she hit a hologram with her bullet, it disappeared. However, because she her hits were never fatal, they were each considered a miss.

"Once 80 minutes have passed, the poison is now affecting your heart and brain functions." The computer announced.

"What the—? Aargh!" Sure enough, Natsuki's chest burned like no other and she could barely think straight anymore. Despite this new development, the holograms began to appear at a faster rate. _Damn, you gotta be kidding me._ Natsuki thought. With a boost of confidence, she felt able to maintain her speed and accuracy, which she did, but the poison was starting to finally affect her performance.

"Hits: 3, Misses: 258."

_Damn it! Don't stop now, Natsuki!_ Despite this mental fight to avoid fatal hits, the midnight-haired beauty was unable to keep up with the poison, now making her movements more sluggish.

"Hits: 12, Misses: 279."

Hearing the number of hits increase as time went on affected her sanity in addition to the poison's effects. Flashes of blood, dead bodies and the words "death" and "murder" appeared before her eyes, rendering her eventually unable to move. She stood with her gun still pointed to shoot, but she was no longer able to fire. "Please…stop…" she whispered desperately. _Twelve hits. I've hit twelve people. I've KILLED_ _twelve people. I TOOK THE LIVES OF TWELVE HUMAN BEINGS!_

Suddenly, the holograms disappeared and the training room returned to its original pure white state.

"Natsuki?" A lilting voice made Natsuki's neck turn to face its source.

"You again," Natsuki's voice was somewhat relieved and she was able to put her gun down and tried to appear unaffected by her brush with a possible breakdown, "How'd you know I was here?"

Shizuru had turned off the simulation and walked into the room with an expression on her face that Natsuki could not recognize. Was it anger? Worry? Amusement? She didn't know.

"Ara, you don't give me much credit, Natsuki. I am your Onee-sama so I try to make it my responsibility to know where you are at most times." Her dulcet tones rang softly through Natsuki's ears, immediately soothing her.

Natsuki paused for a second before asking, "Well now that you found me, what do you want now?" her tone was cautious, as if ready to defend herself from a second barrage of accusations.

Shizuru noticed this, causing a bit of hurt to shine through her eyes. She took a few steps closer to her imouto, "I actually wanted to apologize and ask for Natsuki's forgiveness. Everything I said yesterday was due to a misunderstanding on my part."

"You're telling me."

The Second Meister smiled sadly, it almost broke Natsuki's heart for being the reason why such an expression was on her face. This calm, quiet and vulnerable looking side of Shizuru was a first for Natsuki, for she was always used to the poised and authoritative Second Meister.

"It's seems like I'm still new to the whole onee-sama thing. I just didn't want to seem like an irresponsible onee-sama who lets her imouto do as she pleases without discipline, but I guess that wasn't necessary. In fact, you have surpassed my expectations. I saw your report card."

Natsuki blushed a bit, "I-it was nothing."

"May I ask, why does Natsuki think those kinds of rumors spread? Believe me when I thought my sources were reliable enough with the information coming from respected staff members." Her tone still remained gentle, almost singing-like.

"I think it's because I finish my work so quickly in class. The others take the whole ten hours to finish, but I only take a few minutes because I already know all the information. Honestly, it's all baby stuff to me."

"Baby stuff? Well, I guess that explains why Natsuki is a level 10 novice already and I'm pretty sure I walked in on Natsuki's training with level 20, am I right?"

Crimson eyes met emeralds that became bashful at the praise she was being given, "Shizuru, do you not want to be my onee-sama anymore?" Natsuki asked apprehensively.

The use of her first name took Shizuru aback, "Why would Natsuki think so?"

"Because you pulled me out of my novice classes."

"Silly Natsuki. I pulled you out because you should be ready to take the Third Class Qualifying Exam. You no longer need those classes."

Natsuki laughed lightly at the consequences of their lack of communication with each other, "I guess I also need to work on being a better imouto who trusts her onee-sama. So what's going to happen now?"

Knowing now that she needed to communicate more with her imouto, she explained, "Although Natsuki may have thought I was ignoring her for the past few days, I have actually been very busy filling out the paperwork and finishing the necessary tasks required for Natsuki to be properly initiated as my imouto. Now, since you no longer need novice classes, I have decided that instead of making you take Third Class classes I will personally train you. How does that sound?"

"That s-sounds good, really good. Thank you, Onee-sama." Shizuru smiled warmly which Natsuki couldn't help but return with a full blush on her face at the embarrassing words she just uttered.

"Ara, my imouto is a lot cuter than I thought," Shizuru announced with a teasing smile, earning an even more reddened Natsuki like never before. _Ara, this feeling…I've never felt so at ease, like I'm able to show my unguarded self to this girl._ The Second Meister reached into her blazer pocket and pulled out something shiny and silver.

"What's that?" The younger girl questioned.

"Oh, a little gift for Natsuki," Shizuru answered while taking a step closer to her imouto, relieved that she did not take a step back out of discomfort or fear. "I will train you and I promise you will eventually be able to face Alyssa Searrs if you wish. But promise me this, Natsuki. Promise that from now on, you will refer to me as your onee-sama not only by words, but by heart, meaning that I hope that you will one day be able to trust and respect me with your life, as will do the same," the Second Meister lifted her hand to brush some of Natsuki's midnight hair from her face, "I know these words may sound too cliché to ring true right now, but there will come a time when I hope you will understand."

Natsuki was left a little speechless. _How can I not believe you when your eyes tell me everything?_ but she did not wish to say this out loud and settled for the simple response of "I promise."

With that, Shizuru clipped that silver object into Natsuki's hair, "This will be the symbol of our bond. All onee-samas are allowed to choose one item to give to their imouto for the initiation."

The younger girl touched the pin that was now in her hair, "A thunderbolt? Wait, this is the initiation?" she asked incredulously due to its simplicity.

"Yes," the older girl chuckled, "now this proves that Natsuki is mine."

Shizuru's possessive tone once again caused Natsuki's cheeks to redden, still not used to the constant teasing she had been receiving these past few minutes from what she at first thought was a cold-hearted assassin. "B-baka…you don't have to say it like that."

She felt a gentle warmth envelope her, soothing her soul that had been empty since her arrival.

* * *

**Author's Note: Thank you all so much for the support I've been getting for this fanfic! Please continue to give me constructive feedback as it is greatly appreciated! And of course, thank you for your patience and I hope you all stay tuned in for the next update!**

Just for a reference for readers:

**Garderobe Rankings from Lowest to Highest**

**Novice**: Levels 1-10 (10 is the highest)

Exam for next Class: Pass Third Class Qualifying Exam

**Third Class**: Levels 1-10

Exam: Pass Second Class Qualifying Exam + 100 hours of mission work

**Second Class**: Levels 1-10

Exam: Pass First Class Qualifying Exam + 300 hours of mission work

**First Class**: Levels 1-10

then through their own qualifying exams: Captain, Lieutenant, Commander

Exam: None. Must defeat current Meister or apply/audition for an open Meister position

**Meister**: 1-5 (only 5 individuals hold this position at one time) 1st Meister is highest

Current Meisters: 1st-Anh Lu, 2nd-Shizuru Viola, 3rd-Juliet Nao, 4th-Haruka Armitage, 5th-Chie Hallard


	5. Chapter 5 - Simple Training

**Chapter 5: Simple Training  
**

**Recap: Natsuki's father was murdered by Alyssa Searrs, so she agreed to join Garderobe in order to seek revenge. After Natsuki's unconventional Garderobe trial, the seemingly deadly Second Meister, Shizuru, somehow agrees to become her Onee-sama. After clearing up some misunderstanding between the two, they have reconciled and the real training begins.**

**The first scene continues in the training room where I left off from the previous chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

"Natsuki was just training, am I correct? I'm sorry for barging in so suddenly." The Second Meister knew that something had gone wrong during her imouto's training. This was the true reason why she stopped the simulation so abruptly, although she felt now was not the appropriate time to voice out these concerns.

"Don't worry about it," Natsuki reacted the way Shizuru had intended, relieved that she hadn't seen her moment of weakness. _Just 'cause she's my onee-sama doesn't mean she needs to know ALL my weaknesses._

"Good, because I think my training with Natsuki should start right now." Shizuru's friendly face was replaced with the diplomatic expression that the younger girl only saw when her onee-sama was serious. The trained assassin hit a few keys on the computer and then stepped back.

"Level 1, commencing," the female computer voice announced.

Natsuki's face fell immediately, "Level 1? Are you serious?!"

"Don't underestimate it, my dear. This is Level 1, yes, but _with me_." For some reason, Shizuru's tone and small curve upwards of her mouth made all doubts leave Natsuki in a flash and instead she gulped.

After the next few hours, it horrified Natsuki when she realized she was still stuck at Level 1 because Shizuru had modified the opponent to be herself rather than a holographic image. The goal of this level was simple, or at least Natsuki at first thought it was simple: hit the older woman's sternum and only her sternum. At first the green-eyed girl thought this request was a little weird, if not awkward, but she decided not to question her onee-sama further when that deadly look was on her face. She also did not allow guns so they would both only rely on hand-to-hand combat, something that Natsuki never really took as seriously as her guns.

"It's seems Natsuki has neglected her form," Shizuru with her sweet Kyoto accent pointed out.

"Hey, as long as I can beat the guy, right?" Natsuki reasoned.

"Au contraire, the basics that come with your form are very important. I'm surprised that your gunmanship has not been compromised because of it."

"Well gee, thanks," she stated with a roll of her eyes, before quickly ducking to avoid a fast jab to the head. _Damn this woman is fast!_

"I do not appreciate the sarcasm. Now start again." Shizuru's tenor was not one to be trifled with at the moment, so Natsuki did herself a favor and shut up. The younger girl paused for a few moments before darting forward and going in for an attack. Shizuru merely sighed and dodged the attack easily, "Natsuki fights like a street fighter."

"Are you trying to say something?" Green eyes narrowed a bit and her tone sounded a bit irked.

"Not at all. Indeed, your method of hand-to-hand combat is effective, but only during certain situations. For example…" The older woman took on a different stance. The difference was so subtle, but Natsuki was able to detect some kind of change despite not knowing exactly what. This time, Shizuru attacked before Natsuki attempted to do so and for some reason the moves the older woman used seemed to be more rough, rash and predictable. As a result, she was able to block and then retaliate once she found an easy opening which Shizuru blocked after she easily regained her regular form.

"Just like a street fight…" Natsuki stated softly, amazed after realizing the different style in fighting. Out of instinct she was just about to knee her opponent in the groin when she caught herself in time and remembered that it was Shizuru, not a thug.

The crimson-eyed Meister smiled, satisfied with her imouto's newfound understanding, "So you see, one needs a certain type of elegance and sharpness when using hand-to-hand combat against a trained fighter," she quickly demonstrated a few flowing punches, jabs and kicks that suggested the epitome of elegance despite its obvious deadliness, "Now you try."

_Damn._

"I'm sure it's a lot more difficult than it looks," Natsuki scoffed, thinking she would never be able to look let alone _want _to be so feminine while fighting.

Shizuru paused for a bit until an idea came to mind. She walked over to Natsuki, who was standing in place, and stood behind her. The older woman grabbed both of her imouto's wrists from behind and put her chin on her shoulder so that she could speak by her ear and see what Natsuki saw. Their bodies were pressed to each other, making Natsuki quite self-conscious of her onee-sama's presence and causing her cheeks to redden slightly. _W-Why is she so damn close? And hell, why am I so affected by it? Pull yourself together, Natsuki, she's your onee-sama._ Shizuru, on the other hand, took no notice of the discoloration, focusing only on the lesson she was giving.

"I want you to move like the water," she moved her imouto's hand forward slowly as if motioning a punch and then immediately moved her body into a defensive position right after, "Never stop your flow of movement. Even when you are thinking of your next move, do not allow your body to freeze in place. If something is blocking your way or you are not going in the right direction, alter it just like how water can abruptly change its flow."

After a few more motions together, Shizuru backed away from Natsuki and walked around so that she was once again facing her. "It may sound a little cheesy or unusual, but I think it is the best way to think of it."

Rubies and emeralds met before the emeralds disappeared behind eyelids. In a flash, Natsuki practiced her moves on an invisible opponent, the same as before, but this time with the water idea in mind. When she was finished, green met crimson once again, searching for some feedback.

"Yes, that's that idea," the Second Meister gave her an approving nod, "Now do it with your eyes open this time."

Natsuki got into her fighting stance, took a deep breath and focused again on the task at hand. _Flow like water…and hit the damn sternum. Sounds kind of stupid I know, but ok!_ In an instant, midnight-black hair blinded Shizuru for a split second before she tried to dodge Natsuki's attack. She was unable to do so completely and Natsuki ended up hitting just above Shizuru's left breast.

"Ara, if I didn't know any better, I'd say Natsuki was trying to grope me," Shizuru's lilting voice was full of tease.

Natsuki simply growled in response and lunged again, this time Shizuru fought back and the two became locked in a heated exchange of blocks and attacks. _This girl truly is a fast learner…_ Shizuru thought, not fighting with her true strength but using more of it than what she expected in order to keep up with the girl.

Sure enough, in the next few moves Natsuki was able to adapt more and more to her new fighting style, learning the advantages of this flowing movement. She was able to move faster and be more agile to the point when finally…

-Pat!-

Natsuki found the right opening and was able to gently tap Shizuru's sternum with her index finger, not hitting any other bone while doing so. When she pulled back her hand, she stared at it with big eyes like that of a child, amazed at the speed and accuracy she maintained while still being able to hit gently so that she wouldn't hurt her.

"Level 1, complete," the computer voice echoed after several hours without hearing it.

Shizuru smiled genuinely for a few moments before once again hiding it under her perfect Second Meister mask, "I think that should be enough for today. Shall we head back for the evening?" She didn't wait for her imouto's response and walked out of the room without another word.

For the first time ever, the newly initiated novice ate a meal with her onee-sama. And where did the Second Meister choose to eat? Well, apparently where everyone else in Garderobe was entitled to eat, the cafeteria. Now you would think that someone as esteemed as the Second Meister would have somewhere more exclusive to dine, but no, not today at least.

"Uh, don't you think we should eat somewhere else? I mean, everyone's staring at us," Natsuki commented while trailing behind Shizuru's swift pace through the cafeteria.

"Whatever do you mean, my dear Natsuki? Can't a person have dinner with their imouto?" the crimson-eyed beauty questioned innocently with icy overtones, to which the younger girl decided to drop the subject.

Once the two were seated with their bowls of miso soup, rice, pieces of meat, tofu and vegetables, the dark-haired girl immediately picked up her chopsticks and inhaled her food.

"Natsuki shouldn't eat too quickly. It's bad for her digestion," Shizuru chided.

The younger girl only nodded while bringing the bowl of miso soup to her lips and eyeing the group of girls that appeared to be gossiping madly after they passed them.

Shizuru, following her imouto's line of sight, leaned in closer and spoke softly, "I hope Natsuki has realized that I'm dining here today because I want to show her off."

Natsuki accidentally swallowed too quickly in surprise and began to choke a little so she grabbed her glass of water and chugged it down. The older woman stared her down with disapproving eyes because of her very unladylike display of table manners.

Once she recovered, Natsuki took no heed to the look she was given and instead leaned forward to whisper harshly, "What do you mean by 'showing off'?"

"I meant exactly what I said. Surely Natsuki received some unpleasant comments when she walked into class this morning and was told I had you withdrawn?" at Natsuki's silent response, Shizuru continued her explanation, "It's your hair clip that says it all. Garderobe usually doesn't allow wearing of any type of accessories. The only exception is the accessory from an agent's initiation given by her onee-sama. Therefore, the thunderbolt that is now in your hair plus the fact that you are dining with me proves…" crimson eyes looked directly into emeralds, "…that you are truly my imouto and that I haven't abandoned you like those in your class may have thought I had done."

Although others may not have been affected so, Natsuki couldn't help but blush at the words that were spoken.

_Ara, I don't think I'll ever get tired of these adorable blushes!_ Shizuru mused internally.

The rest of their meal was eaten in silence, if not for a little small talk, for there was this sort of agreement between the two to hold off on conversation so gossipers and unwanted listeners would not be able to fabricate anything from their words. True to what Shizuru indicated, anyone who walked by the two always took a few extra moments to eye the silver pin in Natsuki's hair.

Once they were back behind the walls of their private quarters, Natsuki headed in the direction of her room until she was stopped by that Kyoto-ben that she had gotten so familiar with over the past few days.

"And where does Natsuki think she's going?"

"Umm, to…my room?" The utterly confused look on Natsuki's face once again amused Shizuru to no end, though she did a good job of hiding it behind a stoic face.

"When did I ever say that we were finished with training?" the older woman asked a little bit TOO sweetly, to the point where the overall effect was actually quite frightening.

Next thing Natsuki knew, she was walking down the hall near their private quarters where Shizuru stopped and entered one of the rooms they passed. The Second Meister swiped her "Meister Access Card" to unlock the door and they were greeted with a sight that Natsuki was already familiar with. It turns out, they had entered the room that Natsuki wandered into when she first arrived at Garderobe. It remained unchanged from the last time she saw it, deep red carpet with no furniture and tall windows for walls. She cringed at the thought of her encounter with Shizuru the first time they were in this room, reminding her that she had exposed her tears.

"So...what are we going to be doing here?"

"Ara, I believe the correct question is what are _you _going to be doing here?" Shizuru asked with a sly smile, "Have you ever tried meditating before?"

The dark-haired girl lifted an eyebrow before answering, "No, not really, why?"

"Ah, then this will be an enlightening experience for Natsuki," with that, the older woman moved to the center of the room and motioned for Natsuki to sit.

"So…you want me to meditate?"

Shizuru nodded, "Well, something like that…" she grabbed the younger girl's left wrist and clamped something metal onto it.

She looked down and eyed the contraption that appeared to be like any other digital wristwatch, "What's this for?"

"That's a special wristwatch that, yes, tells time but is designed to record your body movements and internal activity. I've set it to one hour of meditation, so Natsuki, rid your mind of all thought for one hour and then you may retire for the night."

"That's it? You just want me to sit here, think of nothing for one hour, and I'm done?" Striking emeralds flashed incredulously, meeting a crimson gaze.

"Yes, that is all," Shizuru chuckled before taking her leave, "Don't worry about how to use the wristwatch. It will know when you begin and start the countdown on its own," she watched as the younger girl stopped inspecting the watch and looked up so their eyes met, allowing the older woman to add, "Oh, and just think of this as your _punishment_ for that colorful expression you said to me yesterday, what was it?...Oh yes, _Shut the fuck up._ Good night, Natsuki."

Shivers immediately ran down Natsuki's back at the way her own words were used against her. She was not used to hearing the eloquent Kyoto-born using profanity, so the fact that she used it right then and there is what chilled Natsuki to the bone. Shizuru even put the effort into saying it without her Kyoto accent, making the phrase even more effective and terrifying.

Despite this scare, Natsuki recovered quickly, questioning the task at hand. _How bad can this punishment be? Meditation? Can this even be considered a punishment? Don't tell me she's a softy. _The dark-haired teen glanced at her wrist. _9:48 pm. Cool, I can finish just before 11! Let's do this_.

Already in her lotus position, she closed her eyes, laid her hands face up in a relaxed position and began breathing deeply. She tried to push everything out of her mind and think of absolutely nothing.

-Thump!-

The feel of one subtle beat from her wristwatch indicated that time had started counting down. She opened one eye to peek at her watch when…

"Ah!" Natsuki yelped when the watch emitted a jolt of electricity that zapped her. She fumed when she looked down and saw that the watch had stopped its 1 hour countdown at 59 minutes and 28 seconds. _What? Seriously?! Is the thing broken? _Trying again, she got back into her meditative position and emptied her mind. For the next few minutes, Natsuki was really into it, her mind devoid of any thought whatsoever. That is, until it came to mind, _So I really just have to think of nothing and the watch works?_

"Ow!" The dark-haired girl growled in frustration at the electric shock that came along with the stop of the countdown. _That zap was stronger than the first one, huh?_ What Natsuki would find out later was that every time the watch was stopped, the punishing electricity would be set to higher and higher voltages. Thinking that there was nothing she could do, the teen simply went back to her meditation, trying to prolong her periods without thought. But it was just so difficult when lingering layers of anger and frustration were building up within the girl.

_Why would she give me such a thing?_

-Zap!-

_Crap, this is really starting to hurt._

-Zap!-

_I'm gonna kill her, or something, when I get out of here!_

-Zap!-

_That is… if I get out of here._

-Zap!-

"GRRRRR THAT'S IT!" Natsuki's patience had snapped and her temper caused her to go berserk, smashing her wrist against the ground, trying to break the damn thing.

-Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!-

-Zap! Zap! Zap!-

For each hit against the floor, the watch only retaliated with a stronger shock of electricity. This only angered Natsuki even more, causing her to try and stand up, storm out of the room and give Shizuru a piece of her mind. But of course, the watch could analyze these body movements and gave her a nasty shock to prevent her from standing.

-ZAAAAAP!-

By the end of her little tantrum, Natsuki slumped to the floor, too tired from the pain to sit up at the moment. Green eyes peered at the clock to check the time and were annoyed to see that it was already 12:42 am with 42 minutes of meditation eyes were flashing with stars from all the shocks that she could have sworn she saw an image of Shizuru materialize in front of her just to taunt her. _Damn you and your fucking watch… _Calming her breathing once more and sitting up, she knew that she was in for one very long night.

Not only were the electric shocks painful, they brought on spurs of irritation and anger that made it quite difficult to calm down. At some points, her mind was racing with the possibility of going crazy, making it almost impossible to continue. _Now I know why she considered this "punishment."_ By the time 30 minutes were left on the clock, the poor girl had gone through countless waves of electricity and was completely exhausted. At this point, Natsuki was using the calming image of a particular memory where her mother and father played with her in a beautiful garden when she was about 5 years old. This worked and the watch allowed her to have that one memory, except for the fact that it zapped her awake when she started to fall asleep as it was now 3:00 am. For the rest of the night and into the early morning, Natsuki found a rhythm with this calming memory and simply fought to stay awake when being reduced to such a tranquil state.

At 5:17 am, the watch beeped and finally released itself from Natsuki's wrist, indicating that she had finished her one hour of "meditation." Too tired to stand and leave the room, let alone sit up, heavy eyelids closed on emeralds and the teen fell into a deep slumber.

A knock on the door brought the Second Meister's crimson eyes up from her desk, "Come in."

"Good morning, Shizuru," Chie greeted, "Up for some morning tea?"

Nao answered for her, "Um, why even ask? You already know the answer will be '_Ara, that would be splendid!_'" The last part was spoken by the red head with a very bad imitation of Shizuru's Kyoto accent, earning her a dangerous glare of red, "Relax, relax woman! I was only kidding."

"Good morning Chie-han, Nao-han. Yes, tea does sound splendid," Shizuru replied good-naturedly to her companions, to which Nao lightly snickered.

As the two other Meisters got more comfortable in Shizuru's office, it was noticeable that they were itching to ask her something and the tension was beginning to irk her.

"Yes, Chie-han, is there something you wanted to ask me?" she finally decided to break the silence.

The Fifth Meister's eyes immediately lit up and she sauntered over to get closer to her fellow Meister, "So…I heard you officially initiated your imouto yesterday."

"Yeah, how's the pup doing?" Nao asked without skipping a beat.

"Yes, I did and Natsuki's doing fine," Shizuru answered with utter brevity.

"Awww, come on, Shizuru! Give us the juicy details!" Chie chided the biggest gossip of the Meisters, "What's the deal with you withdrawing her from Novice classes so soon? All of us thought you were giving up on her!"

The Second Meister eyed her friends carefully before deciding to speak, "I'm the one who will train her, not the classes offered here by Garderobe."

"Damn your patience must be as thick as a brick wall to be able to train the pup from Novice level. It's common to hear stories of Onee-samas training their imoutos after they've reached Third Class, never a Novice!" Nao then nudged the brunette teasingly with her eyebrows wagging, "I see you just love your new role as an Onee-sama."

"Natsuki's not a Novice," Shizuru announced while successfully hiding a blush that was about to rise, "At least, her skill far outreaches that of any Novice level agent."

"How can you be so sure?" Chie asked with her curiosity perked.

"The Novices just had their monthly diagnostic exam, right?" Nao, the always informed of just about anything, asked, "What level is she?"

Shizuru would normally never disclose such private information, but these two were friends that she had come to trust with her life, so they were an exception, "Level 10." Chie let out a whistle while Nao looked absolutely stunned.

"So you're telling me that that pup, who came here no less than a week ago with no form of formal military training and knew nothing of Garderobe, let alone our training style, is already a level 10 Novice?" The red head asked disbelievingly.

"Yes," Shizuru answered with a hint of pride in her voice.

"So if she doesn't have any more Novice classes to go to, where is your precious level 10 imouto now?" Chie questioned.

The brunette's lips curved slightly upward before answering, "Natsuki's probably still asleep."

"At this hour? It's already 9 o'clock! She sure knows how to sleep in for a Garderobe agent," this brought chuckles to the two Meisters.

"I gave her the watch last night," Shizuru commented nonchalantly amused that the smiles on her friends' faces vanished in a second.

"The watch?...The meditation watch that even _you_ have trouble using sometimes because it _tortures_ you into the most masochistic form of meditation I've ever seen? _That_ watch?" The short black-haired woman asked with an expression that screamed, _NO WAY_.

"Yes, Chie, that is the watch I speak of," her indifferent tone astonishing her friends even more.

Nao remarked first, "Shizuru, the pup is still a Novice! Aren't you overestimating her a little—"

"Natsuki's not a Novice," she repeated once again.

"That's not the point! She—"

"She did something didn't she?" Chie interrupted when a light bulb came on in her mind, "What'd she do?" she asked with a sly smile at the hesitation of her honey-haired friend.

Shizuru lifted her nose slightly into the air and like a child stated, "She told me to '_Shut the fuck up_' when she was angry with me," using the same non-Kyoto accent when trying to imitate Natsuki.

Nao burst into unstoppable laughter to the point where tears began to form at the corners of her light-green eyes, "Boy!" she choked amidst the snickers while clutching her stomach, "does she give you a run for your money! The girl's got guts!"

Chie had also broken into laughter, shaking her head at her friend's idea of "punishable acts." "It's nice to see someone's able to stand up to your…" the Fifth Meister motioned to Shizuru's rigid countenance, "well…you."

Once the laughter died down, the red-head asked, "So how'd the kid do?"

"Ara, now that you mention it, I don't know. I am not even sure if she returned last night," Shizuru stated while moving to check her imouto's room.

When signaling to her friends that Natsuki was in fact, not in her room, Chie scolded while shaking her head playfully, "Tsk, tsk, bad Shizuru. I'm so glad you aren't my onee-sama right now."

Shizuru gave her bespectacled friend one of her famous glares before striding out of her office and down the hall with the other Meisters trailing behind her. The brunette unlocked the room to reveal a sight that brought a pang to her heart. In the middle of the deep red carpet was Natsuki, lying on her side with her midnight hair splayed about her almost artistically and an arm beneath her head. She was breathing deeply, indicating that she was still fast asleep.

"She finished at 5:17 am. Poor kid," Nao whispered after she picked up the watch that lay next to Natsuki, "But damn, she's a looker alright. I would definitely take her and—" this earned a slap from Shizuru to the shoulder.

"Must your head always be in the gutter, Nao-han?"

"What are you going to do now, Shizuru, wait 'til she wakes up?" Chie asked, curious as to what the normally stoic-faced Meister would do.

"I have an idea…" crimson eyes glinted in the morning light with a hint of mischief in her tone.

Shizuru positioned herself stealthily above Natsuki's sleeping figure. She had returned her imouto back to her room shortly after Nao and Chie left to complete their tasks of the day. After successfully placing the younger girl's lithe body back to her bed without waking her, the Second Meister couldn't help but watch the girl sleep. Entranced by the younger woman who became her imouto, Shizuru stepped closer to get a better look of her face.

_This is quite adorable. How can someone with such a tough demeanor be so gentle and serene while they sleep? _

Her imouto snuggled into her pillows, but the steady rise and fall of her chest indicated that she was still fast asleep.

_Hmmm...she's so defenseless while she sleeps. I must teach her how to correct that..._

With that in mind, Shizuru ended up hovering over, almost straddling, her imouto on her hands and knees. In a swift movement, she brought a knife to Natsuki's neck, ready to pretend to be an attacker once she woke. But after a few moments of waiting for the girl to wake, Shizuru realized that their faces were only inches away and that an outside spectator would find their position to be quite compromising. At their close proximity, her rubies were immediately drawn to the detailed contours of the face in front of her. The long midnight eyelashes, the ivory-colored skin, the full pink lips, Shizuru found every part of the girl to be beautiful. Her eyes traveled further down and admired the full curves of the body beneath her. A sudden twinge of need and desire to touch the girl broke the Second Meister's ogling.

_She is such a bewitching young woman. I can't help but want to bed her. _She was no stranger to sleeping with the women of Garderobe. In fact, she was known to be quite the seductress, so being attracted to Natsuki was only natural. She wanted to wake the girl and seduce her. Feel every inch of the body beneath her with her hands. Watch as the girl writhed in pleasure from her touch.

But for some reason she hesitated.

Why?

Before deciding on a plan of action, the girl began to stir.

* * *

**Thank you again for all the support for this fanfic! Please continue to review and give me some feedback!**

**This may have been a slow chapter filled mostly with "training." But now that Natsuki has finally settled in Garderobe, she can focus on her revenge on Alyssa Searrs! And of course what will happen if Natsuki wakes up with Shizuru on top of her?**


End file.
